Digimon Re:Link
by wildwing64
Summary: It is the year 2008. An average Digimon fan learns the hard way that it was all real, all along. Now part of his daily life, our hapless hero must face his past as he bands together with a team of veterans and newcomers alike to protect the Digital World from a group of Hackers. Worlds collide and mysteries await, but all our hero wants is some peace and quiet and a cup of coffee.
1. Prologue

Sometimes, you don't really appreciate what you've got until it's gone.

At least, that's how I felt… both before, _and_ after everything that happened.

Just imagine, living out your mundane and ordinary everyday life, and then one day as you're casually minding your own business and doing your thing, this one event happens - almost in an instant - that changes your life forever. The experiences you have, the places you go, the way you see the world, the friends you meet along the way… it's hard to believe I went through all that, looking back at it.

Often I found it all too overwhelming, and there were times when I wished for nothing more than for my everyday life to go back to the way it was.

And before I knew it, it was all over.

Now here I am, back to my mundane, ordinary life. Back to being a nobody-in-particular, a background character, and sitting on a bus full of old people en route home from a day out in the town... well, maybe that's not the right wording. More like the usual, bi-weekly trip to a public employment agency. I graduated from University some time ago, but after all is said and done, I've got nothing. Nowhere to go. I'm kinda lost and don't know what to do with my life anymore.

Feels like I've been on this bus for a while, but at least it has free Wi-Fi, I guess. Maybe I'll log in to Bookface and see how my friends are doing.

Now that I think about it, it's amazing what you can do in this modern age of the digital world. For starters, you can instantly chat with other people halfway across the globe. Of course, having been there myself I can tell you tha - uh, hmm... I've said too much.

Well, can't dodge the subject any longer. This may be hard to believe, in fact you probably won't believe me at all when I tell you that I've been to another world. An alternate dimension, if you will. You'll believe me even less when I tell you that this world was likely born from the digital networks across our planet. You're probably just _itching_ to have me sent to a looney bin.

But then again, you might not be the type of person to do that. After all, the only reason you clicked on this at all was a very important keyword beginning with a letter "D", right? If that's the case, then so far, we're on the same page.

As a kid, I was more or less raised on pop culture imported from the Land of the Rising Sun. All kinds of icons ranging from colour coded superheroes and giant robots, to regular day everymen driving around fantasy lands in a go-kart. One in particular that stood out was a monster show with a memorable cast that fought to save two worlds from destruction. You know what one I'm talking about. Again, that's the very reason you clicked on this link. I still enjoy this kind of escapism to this day, but never did I imagine experiencing any of those things in my lifetime... well, okay. Maybe I did. I was twelve, and in following the footsteps of an old friend of mine, I ended up writing terrible fanfiction of this one particular fictional world. It had that much of an impact on me, I guess.

But you wanna know what the weirdest thing is? Somehow, that horrible fanfic I wrote when I was twelve was only _one_ of the things that ended up leading me to this other world, the creatures inhabiting it, and the friends I made there… speaking of which, I wonder what ever happened to that old friend I used to write those awful things with?

Anyway, I'm getting off track.

Following this rambling wall of text is my recollection of the events that transpired involving the other world. The adventures I had, the beasts that were tamed, the frontiers that were crossed, this world that was saved from a seemingly endless war… and the friends and allies I made along the way.

Hopefully, someday, I'll be able to r̹̼̳̮̯̥̳͢èl̞͔̳̼̲̰ͅi̮n̹k̥̬̦̫̻̯͉ ̹̩̺͉w̖͚̩̘̰͔ì̟̜̯̖̜͙̲ṱ̸̜h͙̹̝̘ ̱͓͔̮t̶̰͙h͔͔̥̘͔͡em̺ ̣̗̝̰̝͈͝a͖g͉̲͉̖͖̩a̜̤̟̩i̳̱̬̥̗͟ͅn̖̤͍͎̙̰.̧̠̤̯͈̠͕͕͚͙̘̗̹͞ ̭̝͕͕̮̖ ͔̮̝̯̩ ͏̳̣̜͙̱ ̶̭̭͎͇̩͖̹ ̹͍͚͉̻̗ ̲̳̫̦̖̱ ̴̙̩͓̹̜͎ͅ ͝ ͏̱͎̱͚͓̥̭ ̯̰̞̭͈̻ͅ ̶͖ ̷̙͇͍̗͍ ̨̤͇ ̧̼̥̭͚̠͙ ̣̬͚ ͓͍̘̟͚ ̲̲̞ ̡ ̲̰̬̮̩̝ ͏͇̬̹ ̯͉̺̪ ̟̭̦͈ ͇͈̮̣̲ ͈̤ ̨̙̣ ̡̪̻̮̰ ̗̪͈͉̻ ͕͝ͅͅ ͔ ͎̭͚̰͍ ̡̼͎̼ͅ ͓̤͙͇̱ ̦͕̜̠̹̖̬ ̲̤ ̘͓͇̘ ͔̱̺͔̝̞͕ ̼̪̤̹̪͍ ̷̰̣̱͚ͅ ͍ ̦̩̝͘ ̹ ͙̖ ̹ ͕̮̞̻ ̮͖̹̻̀ ̠ ҉̰̺͙̲̤̖̖ ̣̪̗͠ ̤͙̘̘ ̮̬ ̸ ̻̩ ͉̱̖̗͍́ ̻̼͢ ̴̰ ̩͜ ̮̰͇̙ ̪̖͉͘ ̙͉͔̼͔ͅ ̳ ̪ ̥ ̦͓̟̘̞͉͡ͅ ͚̫̟͍̰̭̟ ͙̪̞ ̪͉̙͕̹ͅ ̰̙̖ ̶̙̣̲̪ ͇ ̦ ̥̭̳̻ ̨̠ ̘̳ ̜̀ ͇͎̦͖̹ ̻ ̯̠̙͕͕ ̧̞͔̜ͅ ̛̣͖͎͓ ̙̱̦̱̤̜͇ ̶̹͍͚̣̥̤ͅ ̢͇ ̯̙̀ͅͅ ̫̱͕̖͈̞͚ ͎̠̖ ́ ̹ ̠̦̻͇̖̙ͅ ̤͕ ̠ ̦͈̪̱̝̘̹ ̞̣͟ ͇͇̬͉͚̼ ͇́ ̧ ͓̥̠̳̫͘ ̟̘̞͙͉̀ ͙̩̙͇̮̳̰ ̺͕͢ ̧̪͕ ̹ ̸͍͖͉̺̞ ̵̠̦͍̠̘ͅ ̣̭ ̸̜ ̢͇̻̺ͅ ̵̼ ̫̠̙͜ ̞̲̕ ͕̮̻̻͖̀ ̖͚̞ ̝͈̜̰̖̲̲͡ ̦̦͠ ̟͉̝̱̩̟͔͢ ̬̝̻̞̀ ͎̥͙̕ͅ ͏ ̯̀ ͇̳̘̹͖͕ ͓̲̜ ͔͢ ̠̲̥̬̖͜ ̖͍̙ ̪̤͉̜ ̙͙̬͇͍̤ͅ ͏̥̩̲ ̻ ̝̗̳̞̲ ̯͙ ̫̰̪͇͝ͅ ̞͓̗̼̥̗̼͝ ̖͇͕̞̱ ̙̤̫ ̶̱̗̗̺̗͇̝ ͇̭͍ ̻̦̺̕ ̘̙ ̖͓̤̘͖̯ ̣̟ ̴̳ ͓͙̺͇͕ ̲̙ ̧̠͉̣͙̟̙̠ ̼̺̫̣͉̮̟ ̟ ̺̠̹ͅ ̣͖̖̘ ̪̬̻̥͇ ̢͈ͅ ͔̭̰̖̪ ͖͓̟̞̦̱ ͉͚̦̯͖͓ ̣̜̙͉̯̜ ̲͚̱ ̣̠͙͖ ̖̹̩ ̬ ̘͙̤͕̣ͅ ̧̻ ̷̣ ̨̱̻̠͚̣̖̻ ̬̲̘̱͙ ͈͕̝ ̗ ̥̞̠ ̵̖̼͕͇̞̞̯ ̪̼̪͉̳͠ ̤̞͇̰ ̪̖̩̖͞ ̸̯̖̬̱̲̠ ̰͔̳̜̕ ͙͇ ̗͔͘ ̴͕̭ ̴ ̷̯͈ ̛̲̜̻̠̩ ̯ ̙͉̠̜̫̣͠ ͚̥̘ ̥͍̗̟͠ ̜͈ ͜ ̼̤͚̘͙̥̕ ̖ͅ ̙̰͇͡ ̘̯̗̬̺̩̤ ̦̯͕̖͔ ̵ ͝ ̸̯̬ ̴ ̳̞̗̥̲͎̺ ̱͇͍̖̗ ̶̦̬̦ ̝ͅ ͝ ̤͔̣̬̜̲̩ ̨͕̭̟̰̠ͅͅ ̵̼͉̯̣ ͇̦͍̠̩̦̀ ͔̼̣̻͎ ̬̻̫̦̗͜ ͖͕̝̭̣̝ ͉̜͚́ ͕̪̥̜̱͟ͅ ̶̤̝̼̻͎͈͇ ̞̼̤ ̻̫̦ͅ ̣͎ ̲̞͔ ̬́ ̺̘̞͝ ̠̦̭͙ ̳̩̮̠͈́ ͕ ̞̬̝̀ ҉͍̱ ̨̟̥̩̻ ͞ ̻̀ ҉͍̺ ̮͔͍̙͞ ͙ ̜̯͍͔ ̷̯ ͍̱̰̞̼̖̩ ̟͎͖͙̜ ͙ ͇̬͉̲ ̥̦̤̟̗ ̢̝ ̫͉̭̯ ̶̹̥̟̞̯̰̩ ̻͉̙̺ ̠̣ ̢ ̰͟ ̵̱ ̖̲ ̧̹̹͓̗ ̵͔͙ ̰̝͖̥͝ ̷̻̳͈͍͔ ͖̭́ ̗͉̠ ͔̮͔̦̺͜ ̧ ̰̼̦ ̯͖̼̦̝͎͠ ͞ ̥͔̜͈͘ ̬̭ ̛̣̖̥͎͇̩̰ ̷͕̩̥ ͏̤ ̫̲ͅ ͏͙̭̻̜̗͔̯ ̢̦̪̖ ̜̺̥ͅ ̕ ̡̺͙ ̯̺̺̖̻ ̞̙ ̶̯̪̳͈ ̶̗̰̦̦̣ ̴͚ ͚ ͖͖͞ ̤̳̘͍ ̵̘̝̬ ͖͔͡ ̠̜̻͙ ̺̥̙͠ ͎̭̗̰̗̘̫ ̴͕ ͖̦̼͚̫͍̜ ̧̻͍̦ ͚͔̙͍͉͚͢ ҉̙̹̥ ̼̼̭̤͍̥ͅ ͏̲̤̰̜̯̣͔ ͔̙̯̮ ͈̥̱͈́ͅ ̦͓̰̖ ̨̩̞̘͎̮ ͔̩̰̯̺́ ̰̼͜ ̯͙͇͓̰̩ ̛̺͔ ̶ ̱̫̹͟ ̝̬̰́ ̦͔̣͓̞ ̴̝̝ ̝̜͡ ̛̜͇̼̪̱̟ ̼ ͚ͅ ͔̰͖ ̹ ̮̼̞͓̹ ̞̞̖ ͇̮̪ ̫̦͈̟̩̻́ ͖̘̙̟̠͚̪ ̻͝ ̝͕̖̼͜ͅ ̹͍̱̤̤̦͡ ͏̣̜͓ ͈͚̫͙ ̡̦͈̜͓̣̮̞ ͕͇͡ ̼̟̯̺̞͉͓ ҉͔̣͈͉ ̙ ̗̟̳͓̗̬̫ ͜ ̛̙͖͖̩̠ ̳͚̖̝̤̗̠̀ ̹̟ ̠̱͔̮̤̳͘ͅ ͔̳͓̀ ̴̗̝̖̻͉̹ ̫̀ ̴̣̳ ̶̻̜͉͙̮̪̻ ͍͍͓̼͍ ̩͖̜̺̺͍͔͜ ̨̫͙̰͎͖̗̺ ͚̩̥̥͘ ̬͕̬̠̩̟ ̹̞͎̪̕ ̗̹͉̞̖͚̪̕ ̮̯̭ ͘ ̵ ̳̯̺͈͠ͅ ̬͙͞ͅ ̥̬̥̙̪ ̺͕̯̥̟ ̭̰̲ ̺͘ ̰̱̮̙̼̯͈ ̸͈̪͔̼ ̭̪̤̖ ͈͍̱ ͖̺͍̤̩͔̹ ̴ ̦̹͓͇͢ ͓͙̝̻ ̫̮̣̝͍̝͖ ̰̱͖ͅ ͎̯̣ ̣̣̥̯̺̺͝ ̭̝͕͕̮̖ ͔̮̝̯̩ ͏̳̣̜͙̱ ̶̭̭͎͇̩͖̹ ̹͍͚͉̻̗ ̲̳̫̦̖̱ ̴̙̩͓̹̜͎ͅ ͝ ͏̱͎̱͚͓̥̭ ̯̰̞̭͈̻ͅ ̶͖ ̷̙͇͍̗͍ ̨̤͇ ̧̼̥̭͚̠͙ ̣̬͚ ͓͍̘̟͚ ̲̲̞ ̡ ̲̰̬̮̩̝ ͏͇̬̹ ̯͉̺̪ ̟̭̦͈ ͇͈̮̣̲ ͈̤ ̨̙̣ ̡̪̻̮̰ ̗̪͈͉̻ ͕͝ͅͅ ͔ ͎̭͚̰͍ ̡̼͎̼ͅ ͓̤͙͇̱ ̦͕̜̠̹̖̬ ̲̤ ̘͓͇̘ ͔̱̺͔̝̞͕ ̼̪̤̹̪͍ ̷̰̣̱͚ͅ ͍ ̦̩̝͘ ̹ ͙̖ ̹ ͕̮̞̻ ̮͖̹̻̀ ̠ ҉̰̺͙̲̤̖̖ ̣̪̗͠ ̤͙̘̘ ̮̬ ̸ ̻̩ ͉̱̖̗͍́ ̻̼͢ ̴̰ ̩͜ ̮̰͇̙ ̪̖͉͘ ̙͉͔̼͔ͅ ̳ ̪ ̥ ̦͓̟̘̞͉͡ͅ ͚̫̟͍̰̭̟ ͙̪̞ ̪͉̙͕̹ͅ ̰̙̖ ̶̙̣̲̪ ͇ ̦ ̥̭̳̻ ̨̠ ̘̳ ̜̀ ͇͎̦͖̹ ̻ ̯̠̙͕͕ ̧̞͔̜ͅ ̛̣͖͎͓ ̙̱̦̱̤̜͇ ̶̹͍͚̣̥̤ͅ ̢͇ ̯̙̀ͅͅ ̫̱͕̖͈̞͚ ̢̩̦̰ ͈̟̲̻͍̟̜ ̨ ̴̭̳̜͙͕ ̺ ̻͇̣̮ ̬̝̻͔ ̧ ̟̦̟̣̠͇͝ ̧̺ ͖̺ ̝͖͚͠ ̭͇͚̤ ̖͉̺̘ ͎̬̟̲̖̲ ͍̙ ̡ ̳̹̪̹́ ͎̠̖ ͟ ́ ̹ ̠̦̻͇̖̙ͅ ̤͕ ̠ ̦͈̪̱̝̘̹ ̞̣͟ ͇͇̬͉͚̼ ͇́ ̧ ͓̥̠̳̫͘ ̟̘̞͙͉̀ ͙̩̙͇̮̳̰ ̺͕͢ ̧̪͕ ̹ ̸͍͖͉̺̞ ̵̠̦͍̠̘ͅ ̣̭ ̸̜ ̢͇̻̺ͅ ̵̼ ̫̠̙͜ ̞̲̕ ͕̮̻̻͖̀ ̖͚̞ ̝͈̜̰̖̲̲͡ ̦̦͠ ̟͉̝̱̩̟͔͢ ̬̝̻̞̀ ͎̥͙̕ͅ ͏ ̯̀ ͇̳̘̹͖͕ ͓̲̜ ͔͢ ̠̲̥̬̖͜ ̖͍̙ ̪̤͉̜̝ ̗ ̢ ̬̲͎͈ ̲̳ͅ ҉͓̥̣̩̳̭ ̙͙̬͇͍̤ͅ ͏̥̩̲ ̻ ̝̗̳̞̲ ̯͙ ̫̰̪͇͝ͅ ̞͓̗̼̥̗̼͝ ̖͇͕̞̱ ̙̤̫ ̶̱̗̗̺̗͇̝ ́ ̹ ̠̦̻͇̖̙ͅ ̤͕ ̠ ̦͈̪̱̝̘̹ ̞̣͟ ͇͇̬͉͚̼ ͇́ ̧ ͓̥̠̳̫͘ ̟̘̞͙͉̀ ͙̩̙͇̮̳̰ ̺͕͢ ̧̪͕ ̹ ̸͍͖͉̺̞ ̵̠̦͍̠̘ͅ ̣̭ ̸̜ ̢͇̻̺ͅ ̵̼ ̫̠̙͜ ̞̲̕ ͕̮̻̻͖̀ ̖͚̞ ̝͈̜̰̖̲̲͡ ̦̦͠ ̟͉̝̱̩̟͔͢ ̬̝̻̞̀ ͎̥͙̕ͅ ͏ ̯̀ ͇̳̘̹͖͕ ͓̲̜ ͔͢ ̠̲̥̬̖͜ ̖͍̙ ̪̤͉̜ ̙͙̬͇͍̤ͅ ͏̥̩̲ ̻ ̝̗̳̞̲ ̯͙ ̫̰̪͇͝ͅ ̞͓̗̼̥̗̼͝ ̖͇͕̞̱ ̙̤̫ ̶̱̗̗̺̗͇̝ ͇̭͍ ̻̦̺̕ ̘̙ ̖͓̤̘͖̯ ̣̟ ̴̳ ͓͙̺͇͕ ̲̙ ̧̠͉̣͙̟̙̠ ̼̺̫̣͉̮̟ ̟ ̺̠̹ͅ ̣͖̖̘ ̪̬̻̥͇ ̢͈ͅ ͔̭̰̖̪ ͖͓̟̞̦̱ ͉͚̦̯͖͓ ̣̜̙͉̯̜ ̲͚̱ ̣̠͙͖ ̖̹̩ ̬ ̘͙̤͕̣ͅ ̧̻ ̷̣ ̨̱̻̠͚̣̖̻ ̬̲̘̱͙ ͈͕̝ ̗ ̥̞̠ ̵̖̼͕͇̞̞̯ ̪̼̪͉̳͠ ̤̞͇̰ ̪̖̩̖͞ ̸̯̖̬̱̲̠ ̰͔̳̜̕ ͙͇ ̗͔͘ ̴͕̭ ̴ ̷̯͈ ̛̲̜̻̠̩ ̯ ̙͉̠̜̫̣͠ ͚̥̘ ̥͍̗̟͠ ̜͈ ͜ ̼̤͚̘͙̥̕ ̖ͅ ̙̰͇͡ ̘̯̗̬̺̩̤ ̦̯͕̖͔ ̵ ͝ ̸̯̬ ̴ ̳̞̗̥̲͎̺ ̱͇͍̖̗ ̶̦̬̦ ̝ͅ ͝ ̤͔̣̬̜̲̩ ̨͕̭̟̰̠ͅͅ ̵̼͉̯̣ ͇̦͍̠̩̦̀ ͔̼̣̻͎ ̬̻̫̦̗͜ ͖͕̝̭̣̝ ͉̜͚́ ͕̪̥̜̱͟ͅ ̶̤̝̼̻͎͈͇ ̞̼̤ ̻̫̦ͅ ̣͎ ̲̞͔ ̬́ ̺̘̞͝ ̠̦̭͙ ̳̩̮̠͈́ ͕ ̞̬̝̀ ҉͍̱ ̨̟̥̩̻ ͞ ̻̀ ҉͍̺ ̮͔͍̙͞ ͙ ̜̯͍͔ ̷̯ ͍̱̰̞̼̖̩ ̟͎͖͙̜ ͙ ͇̬͉̲ ̥̦̤̟̗ ̢̝ ̫͉̭̯ ̶̹̥̟̞̯̰̩ ̻͉̙̺ ̠̣ ̢ ̰͟ ̵̱ ̖̲ ̧̹̹͓̗ ̵͔͙ ̰̝͖̥͝ ̷̻̳͈͍͔ ͖̭́ ̗͉̠ ͔̮͔̦̺͜ ̧ ̰̼̦ ̯͖̼̦̝͎͠ ͞ ̥͔̜͈͘ ̬̭ ̛̣̖̥͎͇̩̰ ̷͕̩̥ ͏̤ ̫̲ͅ ͏͙̭̻̜̗͔̯ ̢̦̪̖ ̜̺̥ͅ ̕ ̡̺͙ ̯̺̺̖̻ ̞̙ ̶̯̪̳͈ ̶̗̰̦̦̣ ̴͚ ͚ ͖͖͞ ̤̳̘͍ ̵̘̝̬ ͖͔͡ ̠̜̻͙ ̺̥̙͠ ͎̭̗̰̗̘̫ ̴͕ ͖̦̼͚̫͍̜ ̧̻͍̦ ͚͔̙͍͉͚͢ ҉̙̹̥ ̼̼̭̤͍̥ͅ ͏̲̤̰̜̯̣͔ ͔̙̯̮ ͈̥̱͈́ͅ ̦͓̰̖ ̨̩̞̘͎̮ ͔̩̰̯̺́ ̰̼͜ ̯͙͇͓̰̩ ̛̺͔ ̶ ̱̫̹͟ ̝̬̰́ ̦͔̣͓̞ ̴̝̝ ̝̜͡ ̛̜͇̼̪̱̟ ̼ ͚ͅ ͔̰͖ ̹ ̮̼̞͓̹ ̞̞̖ ͇̮̪ ̫̦͈̟̩̻́ ͖̘̙̟̠͚̪ ̻͝ ̝͕̖̼͜ͅ ̹͍̱̤̤̦͡ ͏̣̜͓ ͈͚̫͙ ̡̦͈̜͓̣̮̞ ͕͇͡ ̼̟̯̺̞͉͓ ҉͔̣͈͉ ̙ ̗̟̳͓̗̬̫ ͜ ̛̙͖͖̩̠ ̳͚̖̝̤̗̠̀ ̹̟ ̠̱͔̮̤̳͘ͅ ͔̳͓̀ ̴̗̝̖̻͉̹ ̫̀ ̴̣̳ ̶̻̜͉͙̮̪̻ ͍͍͓̼͍ ̩͖̜̺̺͍͔͜ ̨̫͙̰͎͖̗̺ ͚̩̥̥͘ ̬͕̬̠̩̟ ̹̞͎̪̕ ̗̹͉̞̖͚̪̕ ̮̯̭ ͘ ̵ ̳̯̺͈͠ͅ ̬͙͞ͅ ̥̬̥̙̪ ̺͕̯̥̟ ̭̰̲ ̺͘ ̰̱ ̸͈̪͔̼ ̭̪̤̖ ͈͍̱ ͖̺͍̤̩͔̹ ̴ ̦̹͓͇͢ ͓͙̝̻ ̫̮̣̝͍̝͖ ̰̱͖ͅ ͎̯̣ ̣̣̥̯̺̺͝ ̭̝͕͕̮̖ ͔̮̝̯̩ ͏̳̣̜͙̱ ̶̭̭͎͇̩͖̹ ̹͍͚͉̻̗ ̲̳̫̦̖̱ ̴̙̩͓̹̜͎ͅ ͝ ͏̱͎̱͚͓̥̭ ̯̰̞̭͈̻ͅ ̶͖ ̷̙͇͍̗͍ ̨̤͇ ̧̼̥̭͚̠͙ ̣̬͚ ͓͍̘̟͚ ̲̲̞ ̡ ̲̰̬̮̩̝ ͏͇̬̹ ̯͉̺̪ ̟̭̦͈ ͇͈̮̣̲ ͈̤ ̨̙̣ ̡̪̻̮̰ ̗̪͈͉̻ ͕͝ͅͅ ͔ ͎̭͚̰͍ ̡̼͎̼ͅ ͓̤͙͇̱ ̦͕̜̠̹̖̬ ̲̤ ̘͓͇̘ ͔̱̺͔̝̞͕ ̼̪̤̹̪͍ ̷̰̣̱͚ͅ ͍ ̦̩̝͘ ̹ ͙̖ ̹ ͕̮̞̻ ̮͖̹̻̀ ̠ ҉̰̺͙̲̤̖̖ ̣̪̗͠ ̤͙̘̘ ̮̬ ̸ ̻̩ ͉̱̖̗͍́ ̻̼͢ ̴̰ ̩͜ ̮̰͇̙ ̪̖͉͘ ̙͉͔̼͔ͅ ̳ ̪ ̥ ̦͓̟̘̞͉͡ͅ ͚̫̟͍̰̭̟ ͙̪̞ ̪͉̙͕̹ͅ ̰̙̖ ̶̙̣̲̪ ͇ ̦ ̥̭̳̻ ̨̠ ̘̳ ̜̀ ͇͎̦͖̹ ̻ ̯̠̙͕͕ ̧̞͔̜ͅ ̛̣͖͎͓ ̙̱̦̱̤̜͇ ̶̹͍͚̣̥̤ͅ ̢͇ ̯̙̀ͅͅ ̫̱͕̖͈̞͚ ̢̩̦̰ ͈̟̲̻͍̟̜ ̨ ̴̭̳̜͙͕ ̺ ̻͇̣̮ ̬̝̻͔ ̧ ̟̦̟̣̠͇͝ ̧̺ ͖̺ ̝͖͚͠ ̭͇͚̤ ̖͉̺̘ ͎̬̟̲̖̲ ͍̙ ̡ ̳̹̪̹́ ͎̠̖ ͟ ́ ̹ ̠̦̻͇̖̙ͅ ̤͕ ̠ ̦͈̪̱̝̘̹ ̞̣͟ ͇͇̬͉͚̼ ͇́ ̧ ͓̥̠̳̫͘ ̟̘̞͙͉̀ ͙̩̙͇̮̳̰ ̺͕͢ ̧̪͕ ̹ ̸͍͖͉̺̞ ̵̠̦͍̠̘ͅ ̣̭ ̸̜ ̢͇̻̺ͅ ̵̼ ̫̠̙͜ ̞̲̕ ͕̮̻̻͖̀ ̖͚̞ ̝͈̜̰̖̲̲͡ ̦̦͠ ̟͉̝̱̩̟͔͢ ̬̝̻̞̀ ͎̥͙̕ͅ ͏ ̯̀ ͇̳̘̹͖͕ ͓̲̜ ͔͢ ̠̲̥̬̖͜ ̖͍̙ ̪̤͉̜̝ ̗ ̢ ̬̲͎͈ ̲̳ͅ ҉͓̥̣̩̳̭ ̙͙̬͇͍̤ͅ ͏̥̩̲ ̻ ̝̗̳̞̲ ̯͙ ̫̰̪͇͝ͅ ̞͓̗̼̥̗̼͝ ̖͇͕̞̱ ̙̤̫ ̶̱̗̗̺̗͇̝͟ ́ ̹ ̠̦̻͇̖̙ͅ ̤͕ ̠ ̦͈̪̱̝̘̹ ̞̣͟ ͇͇̬͉͚̼ ͇́ ̧ ͓̥̠̳̫͘ ̟̘̞͙͉̀ ͙̩̙͇̮̳̰ ̺͕͢ ̧̪͕ ̹ ̸͍͖͉̺̞ ̵̠̦͍̠̘ͅ ̣̭ ̸̜ ̢͇̻̺ͅ ̵̼ ̫̠̙͜ ̞̲̕ ͕̮̻̻͖̀ ̖͚̞ ̝͈̜̰̖̲̲͡ ̦̦͠ ̟͉̝̱̩̟͔͢ ̬̝̻̞̀ ͎̥͙̕ͅ ͏ ̯̀ ͇̳̘̹͖͕ ͓̲̜ ͔͢ ̠̲̥̬̖͜ ̖͍̙ ̪̤͉̜ ̙͙̬͇͍̤ͅ ͏̥̩̲ ̻ ̝̗̳̞̲ ̯͙ ̫̰̪͇͝ͅ ̞͓̗̼̥̗̼͝ ̖͇͕̞̱ ̙̤̫ ̶̱̗̗̺̗͇̝ ͇̭͍ ̻̦̺̕ ̘̙ ̖͓̤̘͖̯ ̣̟ ̴̳ ͓͙̺͇͕ ̲̙ ̧̠͉̣͙̟̙̠ ̼̺̫̣͉̮̟ ̟ ̺̠̹ͅ ̣͖̖̘ ̪̬̻̥͇ ̢͈ͅ ͔̭̰̖̪ ͖͓̟̞̦̱ ͉͚̦̯͖͓ ̣̜̙͉̯̜ ̲͚̱ ̣̠͙͖ ̖̹̩ ̬ ̘͙̤͕̣ͅ ̧̻ ̷̣ ̨̱̻̠͚̣̖̻ ̬̲̘̱͙ ͈͕̝ ̗ ̥̞̠ ̵̖̼͕͇̞̞̯ ̪̼̪͉̳͠ ̤̞͇̰ ̪̖̩̖͞ ̸̯̖̬̱̲̠ ̰͔̳̜̕ ͙͇ ̗͔͘ ̴͕̭ ̴ ̷̯͈ ̛̲̜̻̠̩ ̯ ̙͉̠̜̫̣͠ ͚̥̘ ̥͍̗̟͠ ̜͈ ͜ ̼̤͚̘͙̥̕ ̖ͅ ̙̰͇͡ ̘̯̗̬̺̩̤ ̦̯͕̖͔ ̵ ͝ ̸̯̬ ̴ ̳̞̗̥̲͎̺ ̱͇͍̖̗ ̶̦̬̦ ̝ͅ ͝ ̤͔̣̬̜̲̩ ̨͕̭̟̰̠ͅͅ ̵̼͉̯̣ ͇̦͍̠̩̦̀ ͔̼̣̻͎ ̬̻̫̦̗͜ ͖͕̝̭̣̝ ͉̜͚́ ͕̪̥̜̱͟ͅ ̶̤̝̼̻͎͈͇ ̞̼̤ ̻̫̦ͅ ̣͎ ̲̞͔ ̬́ ̺̘̞͝ ̠̦̭͙ ̳̩̮̠͈́ ͕ ̞̬̝̀ ҉͍̱ ̨̟̥̩̻ ͞ ̻̀ ҉͍̺ ̮͔͍̙͞ ͙ ̜̯͍͔ ̷̯ ͍̱̰̞̼̖̩ ̟͎͖͙̜ ͙ ͇̬͉̲ ̥̦̤̟̗ ̢̝ ̫͉̭̯ ̶̹̥̟̞̯̰̩ ̻͉̙̺ ̠̣ ̢ ̰͟ ̵̱ ̖̲ ̧̹̹͓̗ ̵͔͙ ̰̝͖̥͝ ̷̻̳͈͍͔ ͖̭́ ̗͉̠ ͔̮͔̦̺͜ ̧ ̰̼̦ ̯͖̼̦̝͎͠ ͞ ̥͔̜͈͘ ̬̭ ̛̣̖̥͎͇̩̰ ̷͕̩̥ ͏̤ ̫̲ͅ ͏͙̭̻̜̗͔̯ ̢̦̪̖ ̜̺̥ͅ ̕ ̡̺͙ ̯̺̺̖̻ ̞̙ ̶̯̪̳͈ ̶̗̰̦̦̣ ̴͚ ͚ ͖͖͞ ̤̳̘͍ ̵̘̝̬ ͖͔͡ ̠̜̻͙ ̺̥̙͠ ͎̭̗̰̗̘̫ ̴͕ ͖̦̼͚̫͍̜ ̧̻͍̦ ͚͔̙͍͉͚͢ ҉̙̹̥ ̼̼̭̤͍̥ͅ ͏̲̤̰̜̯̣͔ ͔̙̯̮ ͈̥̱͈́ͅ ̦͓̰̖ ̨̩̞̘͎̮ ͔̩̰̯̺́ ̰̼͜ ̯͙͇͓̰̩ ̛̺͔ ̶ ̱̫̹͟ ̝̬̰́ ̦͔̣͓̞ ̴̝̝ ̝̜͡ ̛̜͇̼̪̱̟ ̼ ͚ͅ ͔̰͖ ̹ ̮̼̞͓̹ ̞̞̖ ͇̮̪ ̫̦͈̟̩̻́ ͖̘̙̟̠͚̪ ̻͝ ̝͕̖̼͜ͅ ̹͍̱̤̤̦͡ ͏̣̜͓ ͈͚̫͙ ̡̦͈̜͓̣̮̞ ͕͇͡ ̼̟̯̺̞͉͓ ҉͔̣͈͉ ̙ ̗̟̳͓̗̬̫ ͜ ̛̙͖͖̩̠ ̳͚̖̝̤̗̠̀ ̹̟ ̠̱͔̮̤̳͘ͅ ͔̳͓̀ ̴̗̝̖̻͉̹ ̫̀ ̴̣̳ ̶̻̜͉͙̮̪̻ ͍͍͓̼͍ ̩͖̜̺̺͍͔͜ ̨̫͙̰͎͖̗̺ ͚̩̥̥͘ ̬͕̬̠̩̟ ̹̞͎̪̕ ̗̹͉̞̖͚̪̕ ̮̯̭ ͘ ̵ ̳̯̺͈͠ͅ ̬͙͞ͅ ̥̬̥̙̪ ̺͕̯̥̟ ̭̰̲ ̺͘ ̰̱̮̙̼̯͈ ̸͈̪͔̼ ̭̪̤̖ ͈͍̱ ͖̺͍̤̩͔̹ ̴ ̦̹͓͇͢ ͓͙̝̻ ̫̮̣̝͍̝͖ ̰̱͖ͅ ͎̯̣ ̣̣̥̯̺̺͝ ̭̝͕͕̮̖ ͔̮̝̯̩ ͏̳̣̜͙̱ ̶̭̭͎͇̩͖̹ ̹͍͚͉̻̗ ̲̳̫̦̖̱ ̴̙̩͓̹̜͎ͅ ͝ ͏̱͎̱͚͓̥̭ ̯̰̞̭͈̻ͅ ̶͖ ̷̙͇͍̗͍ ̨̤͇ ̧̼̥̭͚̠͙ ̣̬͚ ͓͍̘̟͚ ̲̲̞ ̡ ̲̰̬̮̩̝ ͏͇̬̹ ̯͉̺̪ ̟̭̦͈ ͇͈̮̣̲ ͈̤ ̨̙̣ ̡̪̻̮̰ ̗̪͈͉̻ ͕͝ͅͅ ͔ ͎̭͚̰͍ ̡̼͎̼ͅ ͓̤͙͇̱ ̦͕̜̠̹̖̬ ̲̤ ̘͓͇̘ ͔̱̺͔̝̞͕ ̼̪̤̹̪͍ ̷̰̣̱͚ͅ ͍ ̦̩̝͘ ̹ ͙̖ ̹ ͕̮̞̻ ̮͖̹̻̀ ̠ ҉̰̺͙̲̤̖̖ ̣̪̗͠ ̤͙̘̘ ̮̬ ̸ ̻̩ ͉̱̖̗͍́ ̻̼͢ ̴̰ ̩͜ ̮̰͇̙ ̪̖͉͘ ̙͉͔̼͔ͅ ̳ ̪ ̥ ̦͓̟̘̞͉͡ͅ ͚̫̟͍̰̭̟ ͙̪̞ ̪͉̙͕̹ͅ ̰̙̖ ̶̙̣̲̪ ͇ ̦ ̥̭̳̻ ̨̠ ̘̳ ̜̀ ͇͎̦͖̹ ̻ ̯̠̙͕͕ ̧̞͔̜ͅ ̛̣͖͎͓ ̙̱̦̱̤̜͇ ̶̹͍͚̣̥̤ͅ ̢͇ ̯̙̀ͅͅ ̫̱͕̖͈̞͚ ̢̩̦̰ ͈̟̲̻͍̟̜ ̨ ̴̭̳̜͙͕ ̺ ̻͇̣̮ ̬̝̻͔ ̧ ̟̦̟̣̠͇͝ ̧̺ ͖̺ ̝͖͚͠ ̭͇͚̤ ̖͉̺̘ ͎̬̟̲̖̲ ͍̙ ̡ ̳̹̪̹́ ͎̠̖ ͟ ́ ̹ ̠̦̻͇̖̙ͅ ̤͕ ̠ ̦͈̪̱̝̘̹ ̞̣͟ ͇͇̬͉͚̼ ͇́ ̧ ͓̥̠̳̫͘ ̟̘̞͙͉̀ ͙̩̙͇̮̳̰ ̺͕͢ ̧̪͕ ̹ ̸͍͖͉̺̞ ̵̠̦͍̠̘ͅ ̣̭ ̸̜ ̢͇̻̺ͅ ̵̼ ̫̠̙͜ ̞̲̕ ͕̮̻̻͖̀ ̖͚̞ ̝͈̜̰̖̲̲͡ ̦̦͠ ̟͉̝̱̩̟͔͢ ̬̝̻̞̀ ͎̥͙̕ͅ ͏ ̯̀ ͇̳̘̹͖͕ ͓̲̜ ͔͢ ̠̲̥̬̖͜ ̖͍̙ ̪̤͉̜̝ ̗ ̢ ̬̲͎͈ ̲̳ͅ ҉͓̥̣̩̳̭ ̙͙̬͇͍̤ͅ ͏̥̩̲ ̻ ̝̗̳̞̲ ̯͙ ̫̰̪͇͝ͅ ̞͓̗̼̥̗̼͝ ̖͇͕̞̱ ̙̤̫ ̶̱̗̗̺̗͇̝

…

…what the?

…OK, so this bus I'm on has stopped. It's suddenly gone dark outside. Everyone on board has vanished and I'm the only one left. What the heck happened? Where'd they all go? More to the point, where did _I_ go?

In spite of what's just happened, I'm doing little more than blankly staring out the window. I should have been more surprised by this, but I've seen stranger things in my time. I've seen things that shouldn't exist. I've seen monsters. I've seen miracles. Hell, this bus being teleported to wherever the heck this is ain't anything new to me either; I distinctly remember the time a whole frickin' _train_ was rerouted into that other world.

I'm looking outside now and wondering if that's where I actually am. After all, that world basically is the internet, I think, and my phone was hooked up to the WiFi network on the bus, but... no, this isn't it. The world I left behind was about to be reborn after being enveloped in total darkness. This isn't what we fought for. It can't be… right?

And if that is where I am, then what on Earth happened here? It's been almost two years since all that took place, but I'm looking around and I'm not so sure if that's actually where I am. In fact it looks almost exactly like the road this bus was on just a moment ago, only, someone applied way too much post-apocalyptic grimdark filter.

Crashed car remains litter the streets, though I hate to think how they even got there. Even the bus I'm sitting on looks like it was smashed to bits, and yet I don't recall that actually happening. The buildings here also look worse for wear, almost like ancient relics - not that they were much better to begin with. The sky is murky and red. And looking around, there are floating blotches of bright, green light, dotted around in random places. Just looking at it all is enough to make you feel miserable. You'd think I'd taken the 'bad future' route.

At this point I'm certain this isn't the other world that I'm used to. But this land of darkness also isn't my world. I know that much. All I can do now is step off the bus and investigate.

I haven't heard from anyone involved in all those events in a long time. What is this place? Do they know anything about it? And if so, then why haven't they reached out to me? So many questions swirling around my mind, most important of them being: how am I going to get home from here?

Out of the force of an old habit, I get a particular electronic device out of my backpack. Well, I don't know if it'll do anything as it hasn't been of any use since all that happened. But I always have it on me just in case. As it is, I already feel like a superhero who'd been stripped of his powers, but who knows when I might have to answer the call again.

I used to speak to a certain friend through this small, handheld device… can you believe he used to live inside this object? I really hoped that he would appear to help me in this instance, before remembering that he still lives in the other worl- oh hey wait, the screen is lighting up. And I'm filled with a strong feeling of relief as a familiar voice echoes from it:

" _Steven, look how much you've grown!"_

…I'm not sure how to interpret that, but, OK!

Well, don't know what I've gotten myself into this time, but I guess my adventure continues to evolve. Anyway, before I was suddenly interrupted; here is my recollection of all the events that occurred over those two years, which I've already made available to you in a convenient, readable format.

Be warned, though: you're in for a long ride.


	2. Episode 01: Enter

**Digimon Re:Link, Episode 01 :** " **Enter"**

It was a day off like pretty much any other day off. I was sitting in my room, bored, on the computer, and not doing anything worthwhile. Just messing about on the internet and flipping through the same old websites as I apparently had nothing better to do.

Yeah, this is a scene you'll be seeing a lot. I don't really get out much.

It was the beginning of Easter Break. Having recently handed a load of assignments in, today was as good a day as any to chill out and do pretty much nothing. I'm sure there are better ways to spend your first day off, but at the time none immediately sprung to mind. Maybe I could have got on with some other work, or maybe start writing a novel. Oh well.

I went to check my email. I know, exciting right? Among all the spam that had flooded my inbox, I noticed this one that kept popping up which I thought was some kind of desperate plug for one of those generic free-to-play RPGs you see littered around the Internet, using little more than cheap illustrations to market the game. With a subject title like "Monster Tamer" in the email, you'd probably think the same too. This one email must've appeared at least three times, so I swiftly deleted them all.

And every time I did that, I got another one.

What a pain. Why do I keep getting these? Around this time, my brother was going through that phase where he played a lot of these kind of games, and much to my dismay he often used my email address for this stuff instead of his own, for no particular reason. I wondered if he had something to do with it. So, I popped down the corridor to pay him a visit.

"Damn it, Georgie!" I complained as I barged into his room.

"What?" he answered back, "What d'ya want, Steven?"

"What've you used my email for _this_ time?"

"…What are you talking about?"

"Does 'Monster Tamer' ring any bells?"

"No?"

"Really?"

"No."

"You sure?"

"Yes!" Georgie raised his voice as I continued to distract him from whatever MMORPG he was playing this time, "Go away already!"

"Alright, alright…"

In case you haven't already guessed, my name's Steven. And that was my little brother Georgie. Why am I also revealing his name to you? Well, try and remember him for another time if you can. He's kind of important.

So, I went back to my room. Since I keep getting this email and there doesn't seem to be any way of stopping it, I may as well take a look. What harm could it possibly do? Well, opening up the email revealed to me an important keyword, one that you wouldn't think they'd just leave out of the subject title of all places:

Digimon.

That particular word resonates quite strongly with me. Looking back, it was a big part of my childhood. The virtual pets, the anime, the card game, I was a sucker for all of it. Heck, my fascination with the world of the Digital Monsters led me to write my very own fanfiction. That last part I'll hopefully never mention again, as recalling my writing ability from being a twelve year old makes me cringe.

This email though, it came out of nowhere. At the time, Digimon hadn't been around for what felt like an eternity. Three anime seasons, a fourth that never aired here on the British Isles, and basically nothing since. Have they suddenly decided to revive it? But more importantly, I don't remember signing up for anything like this. Where did they get my address from?

And more to the point, how do they know my name?

"Dear Steven," the email read, "We have sent you a link to a questionnaire to help us confirm your identity. Please fill it in as soon as possible. Thank you for your time."

Confirm my identity for what? Normally, you'd get this sort of email because you've forgotten a password. What made this part strange was that, again, I hadn't signed up for anything to do with Digimon. At least, not in a long time.

Well anyway, I clicked on the link and it took me to a webpage. It wasn't anything fancy, but for whatever reason this page had a really old Digimon logo on it. It was kinda scribbly, with the "O" having a disgruntled monster face drawn into it. It was clearly a product of its time, but in a way I found that charming. Probably helps that I grew up in that time period.

I looked around the page for this questionnaire. But it looked like it only loaded up one question. I guessed this was either because the page didn't load properly, or my brother's MMO was using up all our bloody bandwidth. I reloaded the page a couple of times, but was still seeing the same page with just the one question on it. No links to further questions after this one. It asked:

" _What colour was your Digimon Virtual Pet?"_

This just came across as incredibly stupid. How could a plastic toy's paintjob possibly serve as a way of confirming a person's identity? As far as I remember those things only came in blue, brown, or yellow if you were lucky. Your mileage may vary on that last one.

But then again, mine happened to be a somewhat unique colour scheme. I don't know why I went to dig it up; I knew very well what colours mine was painted in. Maybe I wanted to confirm it, maybe I was about to enter another of my obsessive nostalgia phases. Either way, I spent a good five minutes digging through boxes in the corner of my room until I found it.

"Silver and red," I muttered to myself as I held the v-pet in my hand. The v-pet was cuboid in shape, designed to look like a brick wall. On the right there were three buttons arranged vertically, and much of the left side was occupied by the screen. Going with the deliberately mean and aggressive feel of the toy, the screen was bordered by what was supposed to resemble a cage door. On mine, the 'brick wall' shell was silver, and both the buttons and the cage door thing were red. I'm sure I wanted a red one when I was little as that's my favourite colour. But with that either being hard to find or not even existing, my Mum bought me this one instead. Just looking at this thing brought back a lot of memories from my junior school years, exactly nine years ago at the time.

Ah, yes. This was just one of many crazes that would come along and take over the school playground, before inevitably being banned. Much like Yo-Yos, and those weird alien egg things, and that other, more popular battling Mon franchise that appeared sometime after and had kids fighting over it instead. Out of all of those things, the Digimon v-pet probably stuck out the most in my mind. Much blood, sweat and tears went into raising my Digimon. At least it felt that way at the time, even though it only really involved a bit of button pushing. With this simple game I even managed to beat a school bully, and in retrospect given what was happening at the time I'm not sure if that was really a good or bad memory.

After this, I recalled a weird dream I had that very night after beating the bully. The Digimon I was raising appeared before me and then started vanishing, all while roaring in agony. I remember waking up that night and finding that the batteries had run out, in fact I could see the Digimon fading away on-screen. Looking back, there was something very symbolic about this; either way I never got around to getting new batteries for it. I mean, after they banned them from school and the fad died out it's not like I had anyone to battle with, which ironically defeats the very purpose of it.

…Oh, that's right. I have that "questionnaire" to fill out.

With the dusty old v-pet in my pocket, I went back over to the computer. Interestingly the question seemed to now have a drop-down menu, which I swear wasn't there before. Much to my annoyance, "Silver and red" was the only answer available. Oh well, whatever. Clicked the answer, clicked the send button, and got a message saying that they'd get back to me.

I was still wondering at this point how they got my email address in the first place, or how they could possibly have known what colour my v-pet was. I don't recall ever putting any information about it on the 'net. All I could do now was wait for a response, which would end up answering my questions and raising many more.

One half hour of internetting later, I went to check my email again. I got the following message:

"Dear Steven, thank you for answering the questionnaire that we sent you earlier…"

Again, _what_ questionnaire?

"…Based on the information that you provided us with, we strongly believe that this game might be of interest to you. Please have fun, and enjoy!"

A game, huh? Well, I was half right, I guess.

So I went ahead and clicked the link as provided in the email. And I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised at what I saw: a free-to-play MMO Digimon game! From what I could gather, it was like a cross between an MMORPG and a virtual pet. Thinking about it, this was pretty much the ideal concept for a Digimon game.

Well, needless to say I got a little hyped. I had no idea such a game ever existed, and bam: here it was right in front of me. Much excite.

After creating my account and logging in, the game interface loaded up. A few icons were dotted around the screen, which I guessed would serve the same or similar functions to the classic v-pet. Among other things you had a little icon for the Digimon's stats, a feeding menu, a variety of training options, and a button to clean up his… um, nevermind.

After a brief moment of loading, I was introduced to a bright and colourful village that appeared to be made up of giant painted wooden blocks – the kind that a baby would play with – and surrounded by a forest. This was the kind of thing that would more than likely scare off older players like me, but then again this environment looked very familiar. It strongly resembled an area from the anime which I recall being named the "Primary Village", where Digimon are born. If I'm being honest, it was a bit much.

A lot of eggs were dotted around all over, waiting to hatch. Of course, smack bang in the middle of the screen was my own egg. A shiny silver egg, decorated with red markings that were very similar to tiger stripes. I wondered if this was related to my v-pet's colour scheme, or if it was little more than a happy coincidence.

Seems I had to wait a little while for the egg to hatch. As I watched a variety of baby Digimon hatch and hop away in different directions, I took a moment to marvel at the game's graphics. For a free-to-play game, there was a surprising amount of detail in this village alone. I couldn't wait to explore more of this world.

Before I knew it, the egg started to hatch. Out of the egg came a small, cute, teddy bear head-shaped blob with no distinguishable facial features except for a pair of yellow eyes; this was Botamon.

"Su-tii-bun!" The baby Digimon squeaked happily as it bounced up and down on the spot. It was a strangely cute sight. But I think he was trying to say my name, and that was a bit creepy.

I wasn't sure if I was seeing things, but something about his character model seemed… off. I couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was. Maybe he was slightly bigger than his compatriots surrounding him? Maybe I was seeing things. Maybe it was a bug. I thought about reporting this, but if my memory of the v-pets served me right, he wasn't going to stay like this for very long anyway, so whatever I guess.

My next thought was, let's get him out of this village already. I wondered how to move him, before noticing that this was a point-and-click game, much to my dismay as I'd rather have directional buttons to move. Oh well, here we go. Click, click, click, click, click, down south east and out of the village according to the small radar-like map at the top right of the screen.

And then Botamon started squeaking.

…Oh, that's right. He must be hungry. As I remember, feeding him and satisfying his hunger was the first thing you were supposed to do after he hatched from the egg in the v-pet. So I clicked on the food menu, which brought up the options of either a chunk of meat on a bone, or a vitamin pill thing. I fed him a few pieces of meat, watching each one as it slowly fell from the sky and gently landed in front of him. He even did the thing where he shakes his head – or rather, his whole body – if you tried to feed him after he's full up. That was kinda funny, and a nice nod to the old v-pet.

Speaking of which, the next thing you always had to do on the v-pets was increase the little guy's strength, which meant either training him or feeding him pills. The pills apparently had the side effect of shortening the Digimon's life span, which I guess was punishment for being a lazy tamer. Either that or it was a subtle message about drug abuse. But anyway, I clicked on the dropdown menu and was presented with a nice range of training options. Can't remember them all off the top of my head, but I clicked on one that looked like a brick wall.

And lo and behold, a brick wall fell from the sky and landed in front of Botamon, taking him by surprise. To be fair, I would be too if a wall of bricks appeared right out of nowhere and crash landed in front of me. I guessed that this training exercise was related to attack power as he started blowing bubbles at the wall. Much to the baby's apparent dismay, the wall remained intact with no signs of damage whatsoever – I mean, come on, do you really expect to take down a brick wall with bubbles? Frickin' bubbles?

After failing that he let out this long, angry sounding squeak, followed by a more powerful stream of bubbles which totally obliterated the brick wall. The baby Digimon was overcome with joy while I was laughing my head off at the sight. Only through videogame logic could a brick wall be totally demolished by blowing bubbles at it. Whoever programmed this game clearly had a sense of humour, I thought.

Botamon was already tired after this brief training session, and fell asleep next to a nearby tree. If I recall correctly, baby Digimon don't stay asleep for very long. So I took the opportunity to pop downstairs and grab a drink while he was taking his Digi-power nap.

By the time I got back, Botamon had not only woken up, but he had changed shape and gotten bigger: he Digivolved. Wow, that was quick.

He had evolved into a creature called Koromon: a slightly bigger, orange blob with these stringy rabbit ear-like things coming from the top of his head. He had a larger, more detailed pair of red eyes, and this time you could actually see his mouth complete with a few little fangs poking out. He had now reached the In-Training level.

…Wait, orange?

No, that can't be right. Koromon is pink. I don't mind him in orange, but he is supposed to be pink. Was this another bug, or a deliberate change to make the character more appealing to the target audience, even though you don't have him for very long? I wondered about this for a moment, but I'd also seen a couple more Koromon in their correct pink colour. In fact, they among several other In-Training level Digimon were conversing with my Digimon on screen.

It's definitely a bug, I thought to myself.

As I pondered this, I then noticed the Digimon staring in horror at something off-screen.

"What's wrong? What're you all looking at?" I moved the game camera around so I could get a look.

"Oh, crap." In hindsight, leading Koromon out of the village probably wasn't my best idea.

I stopped thinking about the game's bugs, as an even bigger one was now heading their way. This was Kuwagamon, a giant red stag beetle monster with four arms and a pair of bipedal legs. It also had a pair of wings on its back, and one sharp looking pair of pincers at its mouth. As the giant insectoid got closer, all the other small Digimon began darting off in different directions.

"NOPE."

I wasn't having any of it either, and was now frantically clicking to get my Koromon away. I've only been playing for five minutes, and I wasn't letting the little guy die now. I mean, what would happen then? Would I have to start raising him all over again? Sure, it would only be a minor inconvenience at this stage in his life, but, y'know, I'd rather not do that.

Oh, _hell_ no. As Sod's law would have it, Kuwagamon is chasing _my_ Koromon around because it happens to be the nearest target. Yeah, this is fair. Evidently, the game developer really does have a sense of humour. I clicked and I clicked and I clicked in a futile attempt to get my Digimon away.

And then a bright, white light started glaring from the computer screen.

"What the f- _AAARGH!_ "

After a brief moment, the light faded and I started moving my arms away from my face.

"Steven, get away from here! It's too dangerous!" I heard a voice calling me.

As I slowly regained my vision, it became apparent that I was now standing in the middle of a forest, and… hang on, is that Kuwagamon chasing my Koromon around?

"What are you doing?! Get outta here!"

…

I'm inside the game.

What the actual… what.

Well, before I had any more time to take in the current situation I found myself running towards Koromon to try and save him. Ow, my feet. I didn't even have time to put any shoes on. Owowowowow. And then I made a superbly heroic dive, catching Koromon in my arms and rolling out of Kuwagamon's way. Frankly I'm surprised I didn't injure myself in the process. That bloody hurt.

"You alright buddy?" I asked, as if he was an old friend of mine.

"Ugh… yeah, I'm fine," Koromon caught his breath before he spotted Kuwagamon running back towards us at full pelt, "Steven! Watch out!"

I shot back up, watching as this giant bug thing sped towards us. This has to be a dream, right? Yeah, that's right! I didn't get enough sleep last night, nodded off at the desk and was now daydreaming! Right? Nope. Somehow, this was really happening. And I really wished it weren't.

As I tried to make sense of it all, the Kuwagamon suddenly screeched to a halt right in front of us. Yeah, just like that, it stopped. I couldn't see if it had any eyes, but it appeared to be staring right at me. It even tilted its head sideways, letting out this confused grunt.

Good God, was this a lucky break.

"Alright, that does it!" Koromon snarled as he jumped out of my arms, "Steven, now it's my turn to save you!"

Wow, he's quite brave for a little guy. Or rather, for someone who was only born five minutes ago.

Just then, I noticed a glow from the corner of my eye – holy Jeebus! A beam of light shot out of my pocket, curving around and then hitting Koromon, who started glowing. He was growing bigger. He was evolving again.

"Koromon, Digivolve to…" his body started taking the shape of a raptor-like dinosaur. In an instant he had grown to almost the same height as me. The bright light disappeared, revealing that the creature was orange, and had a three-horned helmet thing on its head.

"Agu… rei… mon?" The Digimon looked at itself, trying to work out its own name. Was it a new species or something?

Well, not really. I recognised this Digimon's appearance all too well. He was like a smaller version of Greymon, one of the de facto mascots of the franchise, or something to that effect. Yet somehow, this smaller Greymon looked familiar to me for an entirely different reason.

Wait. He's not…?

…No, he can't be.

I had to hold that thought as my Digimon snarled at the Kuwagamon. The giant bug backed away, knowing that this new, unknown Digimon was now a bigger threat despite being one fifth its size. It then lunged at him, and luckily my 'Mon was able to jump right out of the way of this attack. Even luckier, I'd already backed away moments ago as its giant pincers pierced the ground right where I was standing before.

My miniature Greymon began blowing fireballs at Kuwagamon. The giant bug screeched in pain as each blast hit it, but then a few shots started flying right past him without much effort on Kuwagamon's behalf. What's going on? Are you just trying to scare him off?

As I pondered this, it became apparent that my Digimon wasn't too well focused on the fight. One swing and a whack from Kuwagamon's arm then sent the little dinosaur flying, right over my head and smack bang into a tree. Bloody hell, that's gotta hurt in the morning.

Before I could run over to help him, Kuwagamon then turned his attention to me. No, this isn't happening. It can't be. It's way too unreal. I must've passed out and fallen asleep at the keyboard for some reason, or I haven't had my coffee yet… right? Right? Well, I pinched myself just to be sure. Nope. I'm here. I'm really here. And most certainly wide awake. I have a pretty cool partner Digimon too, but no means of making him stronger. If this were a dream then, I dunno, I would have started chucking fireballs at this monster. Or I'd be going Super Mode and beating him up on the spot. But, alas, this is no dream. Or someone's terrible fanfiction.

Welp. I'm screwed.

And then the giant bug got hit by another projectile, wincing as this attack took him by surprise. Good God, another lucky break for me. I turned to see a small, humanoid sea creature Digimon, had these horns growing out from the side of his head, and some tufts of white fur on his forehead and chest. Standing beside him was a girl who was clearly into Gothic Lolita fashion.

"Attack him, Samanomon," the girl issued a command, with all the non-enthusiasm of a bored shopkeeper.

"I'm on it!" Samanomon happily obliged, and began shooting ice pellets out of his mouth at Kuwagamon.

So I turned to face the girl, "Who are y–"

"Go and help your Digimon," she replied sharply.

My eye twitched. Hey, at least let me finish my sentence!

She glared at me again, "Well? What are you waiting for?"

"Alright, alright!" God almighty.

As her Samanomon continued distracting Kuwagamon, I ran over to my partner, again regretting not having anything on my feet.

"Are you alright, DemiGreymon?"

Wait… how did I know to call him that?

Oh no. Don't tell me. It _can't_ be.

"Ah, so that's what my name was!" DemiGreymon regained his energy all of a sudden, "Thanks for the reminder. Now I can concentrate on fighting again!"

He ran towards Kuwagamon and shot out a powerful flame at him. As Kuwagamon suffered burns and backed away, DemiGreymon caught him off guard, jumping right into him and piercing his torso with the horn on the front of his helmet. The giant bug screeched in pain.

"Thanks for the help!" Samanomon waved at DemiGreymon.

"Just returning the favour!" the dinosaur grinned.

"Why don't we squash this bug together?"

"I like your thinking!"

The two Rookie Digimon started running in circles around Kuwagamon in an attempt to confuse him.

" _Pepper Flame!"_ DemiGreymon shot fireballs from his mouth.

" _Ice Torpedo!"_ and Samanomon shot ice pellets from his.

Kuwagamon froze on the spot, and couldn't move. Parts of his body were badly burnt and destroyed by fire, and other parts were frozen over with ice. As it let out a final roar of pain and confusion, the giant insectoid collapsed on the ground, and dissolved into hundreds of tiny, glowing particles which flew up into the air.

Watching their victory, I couldn't help but high five my Digimon. Well, there's something to add to and cross off my bucket list. I just high fived a dinosaur. Meanwhile the girl rewarded her partner with a tuna steak that materialised from a small device she was holding in her hand.

"Well done!" I turned to see a short, old man approaching us, "You saved this Primary Village!"

I had to ask as I recognised his appearance from the anime, "Gennai?"

"No, no!" the little old man laughed, "I'm his British counterpart, Dave!"

Following this, we all took a stroll down the forest as Dave gave us the lowdown, and it seemed the girl and her Samanomon decided to tag along too, despite her already knowing everything he had to share.

To summarise, this isn't a game, but we are in fact in a parallel dimension made up of computer data: the Digital World. The game I saw on my computer screen was actually an interface that's used to communicate with and connect to the Digital World. As it turns out, all this time the old Virtual Pets served a similar function. I had a hard time believing that they could have possibly achieved such a feat with such simple technology back in the day, but, okay.

"…And you might be interested to know," Dave continued, "that DemiGreymon right here used to be the Digimon linked to your v-pet!"

"So that's how you knew my name?" I turned to DemiGreymon.

"I guess so!" the dinosaur nodded back at me, "I'm not sure how I knew, but I just… did!"

"So, how did he evolve in this way?" I asked Dave, "I mean, if he's the same as in my v-pet, surely he would have just turned into Agumon?"

"You make a valid point!" Dave nodded, "But that's not all. It seems an odd glitch occurred within your Digimon, caused by a combination of some data stored away in your v-pet and… something else. Now, what was it again…?"

Please don't tell me.

"Oh, that's right! There was some more data extracted from a fanfiction you published on the internet!"

God damn it. I knew it. I didn't want to believe it, but I freakin' knew it.

So, let me explain. I made this character up as my own Digimon partner back in the day, and wrote a fanfic about me, him, and our nonsensical yet mediocre adventures. I even had a NeoCities webpage set up for it. Everyone else was doing it back then, usually pairing themselves or an Original Character with a made up Digimon of their own design. Me being the fanboy that I typically am, I just _had_ to have the Greymon line, and yet wanted something to differentiate myself from the anime lead. So, I came up with DemiGreymon… who I guess was more of an _Un_ original Character. All I did was harmlessly follow in the footsteps of that old friend of mine but, uh, I'll talk about him another time.

As I grew slightly older and wiser, I decided that everything I had written was crap, and took my website down. It thankfully never got enough views to leave a significant mark on the internet, "So how could that possibly have been found?!"

"You ever heard of the Internet Archive?"

As Dave reminded me of my old shame, I felt like I was on the receiving end of a thousand stares, weighing me down as if I had committed some horrific crime. And yet the only person looking at me was the Gothic Lolita girl, who despite her blank expression appeared to be holding in laughter. Either that or I was just being paranoid.

"That aside, it seems that he carries a glitch where his forms show traits of the next stage. It just so happens that your DemiGreymon character fit into that mold!"

A glitch, huh? Yeah, he's a glitch. Let's just go with that.

As DemiGreymon appeared to ponder his new form and his existence, I turned my attention to the girl's Samanomon. I was curious, but more importantly I wanted to steer the topic of conversation as far away from my old fanfic as I possibly could.

"So what about this guy?" I asked, "I've never seen him before."

"Victoria drew me!" Samanomon threw his arms around his tamer. The girl didn't appear to be too pleased at her name being revealed in that manner. She sharply glared at her partner, who was apologetically giggling.

So, she drew him, and he came to life. Somehow I was surprised to learn of this, and yet I really shouldn't have been at this point. Similarly, my own creation - if I can really call it that - was standing before me. But weirder still was that I was even standing in the Digital World, let alone the fact that it existed in the first place.

"It seems the power of human imagination has a lot of influence on this world," Dave chuckled. Yeah, you got that right.

Well, that's enough weirdness for one day. I've gotta get home so I can wrap my head around all this. As I looked up to the sky I could see a rectangular shape in which I could see my room, back in the Real World.

But how do I get there? Do I now have to learn how to fly? Or do I click my heels while proclaiming that there's no place like home over and over again?

"No need for that," Dave laughed again, "just use your Digivice!"

"My what?" I then reached into my pocket and… oh.

Yeah, instead of the V-pet that was there before I was now holding a silver and red Digivice. While still cuboid in shape, it was quite a departure from the cage door in brick wall look that it sported previously. It was now a much sleeker, modern looking device with a screen on top and three buttons arranged underneath.

"As you can see, it's been upgraded to the latest model!" Dave nodded.

Oh well. There goes its value in the collectors market.

"If you want to return to your world, you simply need to point it up at the sky and press the middle button."

As he explained the process to me, Victoria and Samanomon had already started walking away. The little sea creature kept looking back at us, with a slight look of sadness in his eyes.

"Uh… guess I'll see you around then?" I asked her.

"We'll see."

Well, whatever. Time for me go too.

"I'll see you next time, buddy!" I exchanged fist bumps with DemiGreymon, "You take care of yourself!"

"Don't worry about me!" he replied with enthusiasm.

So, I did as Dave instructed and pointed the Digivice up at the sky. I pressed the button, and then felt myself floating up in the air. I was once again blinded by a flash of bright light…

And then I opened my eyes to find that I was lying flat on my bedroom floor. Huh. Maybe it _was_ all a dream after all?

Either way; home, sweet home.

"You can say that again!"

Turned out that DemiGreymon had followed me home… wait, what?! What are you doing here?! If anyone sees you in here they'll friggin' kill me!

"Relax, Steven!" the dinosaur reassured me, "I had to follow you here because Dave needed me to tell you something that he almost forgot."

"Well, why couldn't you have just done it from there?!" I frantically pointed at the computer screen.

"This isn't something I can just 'do from there'. Seriously, all you have to do is point the back of the Digivice at me, and press the right button!"

Uh, okay?

Seems there was a small, camera lens-ish thing on the back of the device. Well, I went ahead and did as he said, and then he instantaneously dissolved into hundreds of tiny particles that then flew inside the Digivice… ah, I see where this is going!

I then looked at the Digivice screen to see that DemiGreymon was now inside.

"This is perfect!" he was apparently very excited to be in there, even though it looked a bit cramped, "And it's got everything I need! An unlimited supply of food, a punching bag to train on, an unlimited supply of food… did I mention there's an unlimited supply of food?"

Yup, just like old times. I couldn't help but smile. I safely assumed that he was hungry, so I fed him a piece of meat.

"Aaaw yeah!" and he began chowing down, "That's what I'm talking abou-om nom nom."

In all this, it occurred to me that I hadn't even had my lunch yet, so I went to get a sandwich. Funnily enough, that was about the most normal thing to happen all day.

Of course, the madness that I endured today wasn't simply going to end there. I wasn't even able to get much of a breather as my adventures and mishaps would continue the very next day.

 **つづく**

 _In Memory of  
Paul Gordon  
1963 - 2016_

 _and  
Kōji Wada  
1974 - 2016_


	3. Episode 02: Digisoul

**Digimon Re:Link, Episode 02 :** " **Digisoul"**

After yesterday's events, all I can ask myself is: what the hell just happened?

I went from enjoying a peaceful day off to playing a new Digimon game to being sucked _into_ said game, only to learn that the Digital World and the creatures inhabiting it were very real things. Not to mention I got my own Digimon partner, DemiGreymon, born from a mix of data from both my v-pet and a crappy fanfic I wrote years ago.

It was a lot to take in, and yet I can remember every second of it quite vividly. After returning home, I was checking out the game's news page which had a hastily cobbled together article revealing DemiGreymon as a new character. I looked through the comments; a few were excited about this new Digimon even though he was described as being impossible to get, while other users bemoaned the existence of yet another Greymon-species; I can see why, but, whatever. My lazy creation was being announced as an official character and it was… well, an odd feeling, to say the least.

I kept scrolling through the page, but there was no mention of me - or for that matter, _any_ human being - appearing in the game whatsoever. I was somewhat relieved to know this as I'm not particularly keen on drawing attention to myself, but it seemed that my presence in the Digital World was being covered up. Even if I wanted to, I had nothing other than my own recollection of events to prove that I had been there, aside from me owning a Digivice which could easily be dismissed as a toy. Oh, and also the fact that DemiGreymon had apparently moved in with me.

So, yeah, I now had to go through the process of adjusting to life, not only with the knowledge that Digimon exist, but also having one in my house. It didn't take too long for us to get used to each other so it was more like moving in with a new roommate. That is, if your roommate happens to be a dinosaur that usually lives in a small electronic device.

Speaking of which, if I'm to be a DigiDestined or a tamer or whatever they're called these days, I should really learn about how the Digivice works so that I can actually use it. The interface was easy enough to learn while he's inside, as it operates almost the same as the v-pet. But how do I make him evolve if we need to fight stronger foes? Do I have to activate a certain function, or does it just... happen? I really hoped it wouldn't at this precise moment, as I'm fairly certain my parents' home insurance doesn't cover Digimon.

Either way, that presumably couldn't happen if we didn't have some time together first. At least, going by any logic established in the TV show. This was easier than expected, in a way it was more like being reunited with an old friend than having a random stranger move in with you. My family just so happened to be out for the day to visit some relatives, and I opted to stay behind and get some University work done. Yeah, because that's _totally_ what I was doing today.

There was no way in hell I could take him outside, or he'd be seen by other people. Who knows what would happen then. A shame, because I'd originally intended to go see the newly released, much anticipated movie _Mecha Man_ with my brother. Those plans kinda sorta got changed no thanks to my world getting flipped upside down yesterday but, oh well, I'll live.

So instead, I thought the best option for some time with DemiGreymon was to play some videogames. I should have been more careful with this all things considered – especially those big, sharp claws of his – but he took to the concept of holding a game controller in hand surprisingly well. Anyway, we were playing a particular fighting game with a roster made up almost exclusively of a certain games company's iconic characters.

And as we were on the character select screen, the inevitable question came up.

"Hey, Steven?" he asked as he pointed at one particular character, "What's this yellow thing with the red cheeks?"

So I told him the character's name, and what it was.

"A _What_ mon?" his interest piqued, "I've never heard of that Digimon before."

"Uh, no, how do I put it… they're a completely different thing altogether."

"Huh? Whaddya mean?"

Yeah, you know the one I'm talking about. 'The other company's product', which for years has cast a huge shadow over Digimon to the point where the latter is seen by non-fans as a cheap clone despite being exported to the Western world first. They have their similarities; for example, both involve training, evolving, and battling their respective titular monsters. But in the grand scheme of things that's pretty much where the similarities end. Not only were the origins and the monster designs radically different with different influences, but the settings were worlds apart. Digimon were always treated as being powerful creatures living in their own world and fighting for survival, sometimes being heroes fighting evil Digimon with their human partners. Meanwhile the other company's product was set in a world where the entire economy revolves around the creatures battling as a competitive sport. The other company's product also revolved around catching them all, whereas with Digimon you usually only have one: your partner.

Despite my explanation, DemiGreymon was – understandably – not having any of it.

"AH-HA! I knew it! They ripped us off before we had a chance to–"

"Just pick a character already."

"Fine, fine… how do I do that again?"

"Just move the cursor with the control stick and press the A button."

"Which one's that?"

"The green one."

"Oh okay," his cursor happened to be above another character that caught his eye, "I kinda like this guy actually. He's an orange dragon and presumably, he breathes fire. Just like me!"

And then I told him what it was. Hint: it's one of those other Mons.

"Uuuuggghh." Despite his disdain, he stuck with his choice anyway.

He then watched with interest as I picked mine. This particular character happened to be a human clad in red and blue.

"Ah, he's just like you!"

You'd think that I'd take offence at being compared to the portly plumber, but let's just say this character had a lot of influence. For one thing, my wardrobe consists almost entirely of red t-shirts. And among my peers I became known for wearing a red baseball cap almost all the time, and it's sort of become my "iconic item" if you will. I suppose it makes up for me not having a particularly interesting hairdo; short and brown and boring.

As a Digitamer or whatever-I'm-supposed-to-be, it might be more appropriate for me to don a pair of goggles rather than a hat. But one: I don't have any, and two: that would be weird. Maybe I end up with a pair somewhere down the line.

"So I guess we could pretend that we're fighting each other!" He laughed. But I hoped it would never come to that in real life.

Soon enough we got on with our game. What got me as soon as we started playing was, despite me not yet giving him any instructions, DemiGreymon instantly knew what he was doing. I don't know how he did it; maybe he was channelling his fighting instinct into the game. It quickly got to a stage where I was having trouble keeping up with him. Maybe his being an internet-inhabiting creature had something to do with it. Well, assuming the internet is where the Digital World is.

I had to comment, "You're pretty good, for someone who only has three fingers on each hand." Not to mention, for someone who's only just picked up a game controller for the first time. Or, y'know, for someone who only hatched yesterday.

"I don't know how you manage with _five_ on each hand! I guess we just get used to the way we are. It's one of those things that you just know, yet can't really explain to anyone _how_ you know."

He was being oddly philosophical about the matter. But then, being a creature that morphs into something else every so often, it probably is just normal for him. One minute, he didn't even _have_ any limbs, the next he's got arms, legs, and a tail to boot.

And speaking of hats, I couldn't help but have my attention drawn to the three-horned helmet thing on his head. If he could casually take it off at will – which he can't, as it's kinda stuck to his head – I imagine that too would pretty much be the iconic item of the Greymon family. I always imagined it being like a skull or something, but it was more like a rock-hard shell that had formed. A bit like a beetle, only a hundred times sturdier.

As I was looking in his direction, I also happened to notice my door being opened. Oh, crap.

What I didn't realise at the time was that the only other family member who hadn't gone out was my older sister. She slowly opened the door and I frantically reached into my pocket in an attempt to get the Digivice out. DemiGreymon froze on the spot, somehow he knew he was in trouble.

My sister, in a half asleep, possibly hung-over state and a bright pink dressing gown, then entered the room. She saw DemiGreymon sitting on the couch next to me. Uh oh.

"Mornin' bruv," she yawned as she entered the room, "Who's this? Didn't tell me you were having any mates round."

Damn it, I've gotta come up with a name fast. Let's see. What's in front of me? DemiGreymon, and my sister holding a… wait, is that a ham sandwich?

My Digimon answered, "Uh… I'm… DemiGrey –"

"GRAHAM!" I blurted out.

My sister and my Digimon both gave me bewildered looks.

"Uh… yeah! This is Graham, my friend from Uni. He came round to… uh, show me his Halloween costume!" Yeah, that's a good one. I'm sure nobody's _ever_ used that excuse before.

"In the middle of April? Ain't it a bit early for that?" My sister laughed, before sitting down at my desk, "Don't mind if I use your computer for a minute do you? I've got some stuff to do before work."

Get your _own_ sodding computer!

"By the way, have you offered Graham a drink?"

"… No, you're right! I haven't! Silly me!" I laughed the most awkwardly sounding fake laugh ever, "Better go downstairs and get one then. Come on, Graham!"

"Oh… uh, right, OK!" DemiGreymon followed me out as we headed downstairs to the kitchen. Good God, am I gonna need some sort of drink after that brief and yet terrifying ordeal.

So, I went ahead and poured myself a glass of water. I almost did the same for DemiGreymon, before thinking a plastic cup would be less likely to break if something went horribly wrong.

"That was bloody close," I breathed a heavy sigh of relief as I prepared the drinks.

"You can say that again!" DemiGreymon agreed as I handed him his cup of water, "So, uh… what do I do with this? Do I eat it?"

"… What? No! Just… watch," I demonstrated the act of guzzling down my glass of water.

"Oh right, OK," and then he did the same, "Wow, this stuff's refreshing!"

"I take it you don't drink very often, then?"

"We don't really need to, no. The food we Digimon eat has everything we need."

Come to think of it, you only ever had a food option on the virtual pet.

"…Speaking of which, I'm hungry!"

What else is new?

Oh well, let's see if I can make some food appear from out of the Digivice, like Victoria did in the Digital World yesterday. Let's see… well, there's the food option. I've accessed it like I normally would when feeding him. Seems the Digivice's OS is aware that the Digimon is not currently inside the Digivice, and it's given me the option to either dump it in-screen for him to eat later, or to materialise the food in front of him so he can eat it there and then.

Much to my frustration, the second option was only giving me an error message instead. I guess real world logic has to draw a line somewhere.

"Aaaaw…" DemiGreymon was disappointed.

Well, that sucks. I suppose I could make him a sandwich to save him the trouble of jumping in and then back out of the Digivice just to eat, I thought. More importantly, it would save me answering the question of why 'Graham' suddenly disappeared.

As he looked around the kitchen, DemiGreymon's attention was firstly drawn to our family pet, a British bullmastiff, who was snoozing away as usual. OK, look, I know you're hungry an' all but eating the dog is out of the question. One, my parents would kill me. And two, you don't know where she's been.

Really though, I think the dog caught his eye because she happened to be living in the house with us. He was bound to ask me about that later.

"Hey, what's that over there? That looks good!" After another quick glance around the kitchen, DemiGreymon happened to point out the fruit bowl on the side.

"Oh, these are oranges," the bowl was filled mainly with them so I grabbed the nearest one and gave it to him. And then he ate the whole thing in one gulp.

"Uh… you were supposed to peel that before eating it," I watched as he swallowed it whole.

"Do what now?"

"Nevermind."

I heard some movement upstairs, so I assumed my sister had left my room to get ready for work.

"It should be safe to go back up now."

"Of course it's safe!" DemiGreymon replied, "You have _me_ around!"

And yet, that's what worries me the most.

Soon enough, we got back to playing our game in which an epic battle ensued between a non-specific red and blue clad everyman and a non-specific fire breathing dragon from a non-specific Mon series. No worries about any sudden interruptions now as my sister had just left the house.

We were enjoying our game peacefully, but for a little while it was almost _too_ peaceful. There was some awkward silence between us. DemiGreymon had something on his mind.

"Hey, Steven... can I ask you something?"

Just as long as it's not another request to get food.

"Very funny... but what I wanted to know is, why exactly you are trying to hide me from your family anyway?"

Yup, that was the inevitable question. I paused the game so we could have this chat.

"I mean, yesterday you said that if anyone saw me in here, they would kill you. And earlier, you had to pretend that I was someone in a costume. What was that about?"

From his perspective it sounded like a double standard, but I see where he's coming from; why was it OK for people from this world to venture into the Digital World and befriend its inhabitants, but not for Digimon to hop on over to the Real World and walk amongst the people here? Truth be told, I knew the answer to that question as soon as he got here. I didn't want to tell him this, but mankind has been a downright horrible species at the worst of times over the course of history. Between all the wars that have been fought over many years, to the discrimination that still exists over race, religion, gender, or - _heaven forbid_ \- preferred football teams, this world's got enough of its own problems as is. It's not ready for you guys yet.

But more to the point, "I think my family would have a hard time accepting that there is a dinosaur casually lounging around the house."

"But you have a dog too, and it stinks!"

I had a feeling the whole pet thing was bugging him too.

"Thing is, in this world animals like cats, dogs, even lizards, are generally accepted as pets, even if they _do_ smell like crap. As far as the world is concerned, the dinosaurs have already been extinct for millions of years."

"Extinct? What does that mean?"

So then I told him about the dinosaurs, the giant frickin' meteor that impacted Earth and reduced them to modern day museum exhibits, and that there weren't any cats, dogs, or even humans back then. I can't imagine the Digital World existed sixty-five million years ago, either.

"Oh, right! I get'cha now. So what about the fire breathing dragons? What happened to them?"

"Unlike the dinosaurs, they were never real to begin with. They only exist in myths, folklore, and fiction," I pointed at the non-specific dragon Mon he was playing as on our game, "that's another thing you have in common with them. People only know Digimon as fictional characters. To have one suddenly appearing in real life… well, who knows what then?"

He went silent again. Now he was just hanging his head and staring at his feet. Disheartened, I'm sure. Despite the fact that I had allowed him to stay with me, he knew all too well that he wasn't welcome in this world. I could only imagine what a horrid feeling that would be.

"Still," I reassured him, "if anyone's got a problem with you being here, then they'll have to go through _me_ first."

Soon as I said that, his face lit right up. In an instant he was in a much better mood. I may have just outright earned his trust.

Admittedly, that was just a boast on my behalf. Normally I'm a bit of a pushover, but there and then I thought to myself; maybe this is an opportunity to change that. We'll see.

Later that evening, DemiGreymon was back in the Digivice doing his favourite thing – I'll give you a hint; it involves stuffing his face – and I took the opportunity to have a look at the device to see how it works. Again, in the event that he needed to evolve in order to fight, I needed to know how to make him do that. At the time I had no idea whether I was involved in the process or not. In the anime they were very vague about how it worked. There didn't appear to be any options for it on the Digivice itself, but a point of interest to me was this bit on top that reminded me of an infrared port, kind of like on a remote. I wondered if that had anything to do with it.

All of a sudden, my phone started ringing. Weirdly, the number was blocked. And being the idiot that I am, I went and answered it anyway. Could've been one of those dodgy scam calls for all I knew; but what I got instead turned out to be even _more_ alarming.

"Hello?"

" _Good evening. I'm speaking to Steven, is that correct?"_

I had no idea who it was at the time, and I certainly didn't recognise the voice.

"Who is this and how do you know my name?"

" _No time to explain, but please heed my warning: a rogue Digimon will soon be emerging in the real world somewhere near your location."_

"…Did I hear that right?"

" _Yes, you did. You have a partner Digimon, correct?"_

"Uh, yeah."

" _Excellent. I apologise for the short notice, but there's nobody else within the vicinity and we had no choice but to contact you. The Digimon will be hostile and we need you to take care of it before it causes any damage. Are you available to go right away?"_

"Well. Guess I don't have a choice."

" _I appreciate it. But don't worry, help is on the way so you won't be alone in this fight."_

Well, that's a relief, I suppose.

"Any idea where it's gonna show up? I can't be going on a wild goose chase all night."

" _If our intel is correct, it will emerge at an entertainment retail complex just southeast of your coordinates. By our estimates, it will emerge in about twenty minutes."_

...Oh, crap.

I remembered then that _Mecha Man_ had just come out. That movie was the first major blockbuster of the year. It was Orange Wednesday too, so the cinema at that retail park was bound to be packed tonight. To think I was planning on seeing that today.

" _Is that so? Well then, we now face an even greater threat, especially with that many lives at stake. Just so you know, the Digimon is a BomberNanimon, apparently it went berserk and it's somehow made its way to those coordinates. As the name suggests it has high destructive capabilities. So be prepared, for anything and everything."_

"Uh… yeah, okay."

" _Good luck, Steven."_ And then he hung up.

Yeesh.

The next thing I knew I was in the process of calling my parents to let them know I was popping out to see the movie, all by myself as you do, then calling my sister for the same thing, before being reminded that I _then_ had to feed the dog before _finally_ leaving… all with about ten minutes to spare before Bomber-whatshisface was scheduled to show up.

I meant to call a cab too, and in all that commotion I'd bloody forgotten to do so. Lucky for me, there was one already parked outside my house. I got in the cab, and the driver knew instantly where I was going. How convenient.

Still, that phone call got me thinking. What could have possessed this rogue Digimon to come to the real world? How on Earth would it emerge in the real world all by itself? I mean, through a computer screen makes _some_ sense, I guess, but what would have led it to the cinema of all places? For a moment the thought of it bursting out of a cinema screen in a room full of people went through my head, before I remembered that the movie would've been screened from a projector that's probably not hooked up to the internet, let alone a network of any kind. Either way, I knew I'd have to start searching the place for where it might emerge, assuming it didn't already by the time I got there.

I don't often engage in small talk with taxi drivers, but I had to ask; "Who called you here, out of interest?"

"Dunno mate," the driver replied, "They said it was urgent, sounded important. We don't normally do these things on short notice at my firm, but they said it was a special case."

"I see."

"Well, not complainin' or nothin' mate, but you'd think they'd get a chauffeur for this sorta job."

Yeah, I'll bear that in mind next time they call me outta the blue with a Goddamn time limit.

We arrived at the retail park with about five minutes to go.

"Cheers for that," I thanked the driver.

"No worries, mate. Don't worry about paying me either, they already got you covered."

"Oh wow, really? Thanks!"

"No prob. Easiest 'undred quid I ever made!"

… _WHAT?!_

And then he drove off. I spaced out for a brief moment just because of that statement, before snapping out of it and darting straight towards the cinema complex.

Help was apparently on the way, but so far there were no signs of either them or BomberThingymon anywhere. I wondered if they got the right location. I also thought, it would be bloody typical if I'd come all the way out here only for nothing to happen. But I knew I couldn't turn my back now, in case it actually did.

Crap, two minutes left. I'm looking around this sprawl of a car park and not seeing any indication of anything about to happen. But then with this sort of attack you never know when or where it's going to take place. At this point my options were limited to either running into the cinema while screaming like an idiot, or…

"Hey, Steven!" I heard DemiGreymon's voice from the Digivice in my pocket, "It's picking up on something!"

I grabbed the device from out of my pocket and checked the screen. Turned out the Digivice had a built-in radar of sorts.

"Where'd this come from? Did you do this?"

"I'm not sure," DemiGreymon replied, "I wondered what this thing floating around in here was. It started blinking, I touched it, and now you can see it too!"

Seems this Digivice was designed to allow Digimon to operate certain functions from within, including this radar. Interesting that it could do that, but the radar's design was very basic. There was a red dot in the middle of the screen, and a white dot started to blink near the top.

I continued heading towards the cinema and carefully observed the Digivice screen as I went. The blinking white dot was getting closer as I kept moving. I went into the main entrance and the radar seemed to be indicating the other side of the building. Luckily the main foyer happened to have another door leading out back, saving me a lot of time which I didn't really have.

Out the back of the building was a small road with some cars and vans parked along it. Some trees and a fence bordering a lake, some industrial bins and not much else. What was probably meant to be a scenic waterfront walk was more of the grubby bit out back where stock gets delivered and employees have their smoke break. According to the radar, this was exactly where the Digimon would be emerging.

Twenty seconds left. I look around for clues. The only kind of network they'd have back here would be security cameras, I thought, so I looked for them. Made difficult by the fact that it was dark, but one caught my eye as it seemed to be playing up, shooting sparks of electricity. Sure enough, I pointed the radar towards it, and bingo. The blinking white dot became a faster blinking orange one. Something big was about to happen, and before I knew it DemiGreymon was out of the Digivice, standing by my side and waiting for BomberNanimon to emerge.

With a blinding flash of light coming from the direction of the security camera, a portal appeared, and sure enough out came the silhouette of a Digimon. A big, round one. A giant, sunglasses-donning head with arms and legs attached. As the light faded I saw more of the creature; his skin was orange, and he had a stalk with a green leaf growing out the top of his head. It was the most ridiculous looking creature I had ever seen. But I had to hold in my nervous laughter at it as it was as big as that Kuwagamon we saw yesterday.

"A giant, walking orange…?"

"Didn't I eat one of those earlier?" DemiGreymon asked, "I could go for another orange."

"Careful, you'll make him angry."

"Well then," I said, "we'd better take him out quick – wait, who was that?"

Before we could make a move, a small, blue, tornado-like blur sped towards the giant orange monster, knocking him back a fair bit. Out of the blue blur emerged a bipedal, dog-like creature wearing a pair of boxing gloves. Out of the shadows behind him emerged a boy with blonde hair.

Yup, our backup had arrived just in time.

"Steven, is it?" the boy asked me, "I've heard a lot about you."

"Weird that, I've only been in this game for a day."

"Then it seems I know more about you than even you do."

"What's that supposed to mea – HOLY CRAP, LOOK OUT!"

"What the… WHA!" DemiGreymon followed my lead as we dived out of the way of a big, green projectile headed straight for us. It blew up harmlessly behind us, with the resulting explosion sending fruit juice flying everywhere... yeah. You read that right. Fruit juice.

The boy turned back to his blue companion, "Gaomon, recommence the operation! Don't stop attacking Citramon until I issue the order!"

… _Citramon?_

"Yes, master!" the blue dog responded, " _Double Backhand!"_ after announcing his technique, Gaomon went straight back to attacking the giant orange Digimon with his arms stretched out, repeatedly pummelling Citramon as he span around with a whirlwind of punches.

…Hang on, _Citramon?_

"I'm not sure why or how, but it's fortunate that he happened to slide-evolve into this form on the way here," the boy watched the battle, "Unlike BomberNanimon, Citramon has very little, if any destructive capabilities."

Well, isn't _that_ a relief. Doesn't change the fact that there's a giant monster on the loose, though.

"But we still need to finish him off quickly," he continued, "So; while I'm here tonight I may as well teach you how to make your Digimon evolve."

His pretentious tone of voice started to get on my nerves. Nonetheless, I looked at the device. Aside from the fact that an additional blue dot appeared on the radar to indicate the boy's position, I still had no idea how to use this thing to make DemiGreymon evolve. What he was about to tell me next threw me off completely.

"Use your DNA."

…Eh?

"You must charge you DNA in order to help your partner evolve."

What does that even _mean?_ Am I supposed to pluck a hair from my head, find a convenient power source, and somehow use that to make DemiGreymon Digivolve? All I could do was glare back at the guy in confusion.

"My apologies. It's an acronym for Digimon Natural Ability. But it's correctly known as 'Digisoul' so we'll just refer to it as that from now on."

Then _why didn't you tell me that from the start?_

"I'll explain later. Clearly, as you have a Digivice and a partner Digimon, you've already been to the Digital World. Is that correct?"

No, I just happened to bring along a friend with his Halloween costume.

"You may not be aware of it, but the Digisoul program installed itself into your body as soon as you entered the Digital World. It allows you to focus your own energy and share it with your partner in order to enable their evolution."

The boy then demonstrated the act with a click of his fingers, after which a blue, flame-like aura appeared around his hand. Hm. Maybe it's not as complicated as he made it out to be. So I clenched my right fist, attempted to, uh, focus some energy towards it, and… aha! Bingo!

Much to my surprise, my hand was on fire. Well, that's what it looked like anyway. Just as that guy showed me a moment ago, I now had a similar flame-like aura around my right hand. Only difference is, it was red. Just as well, it happens to be my favourite colour.

"OK. Now, touch the top of your Digivice to channel that power into it."

Ah, so _that's_ what the infrared thing was for. With the Digivice ready to go, I did just as he instructed. A powerful glow emanated from the Digivice screen as a sphere of light surrounded DemiGreymon. Now we're talking.

" _DemiGreymon, Digivolve to… GREYMON!"_

Out of the light emerged a larger, more monstrous version of his prior self with blue, tiger-like stripes on his skin. Dunno what else could be said about Greymon, really; it was absolutely incredible to witness him appearing before my eyes.

Even the boy who'd just taught me to pull this trick off was mildly shocked at the newly evolved Greymon. He appeared to be getting ready to issue an order to Gaomon as the dinosaur began to prepare his finishing technique.

Greymon looked like he was about to let out a mighty roar, followed by his trademark Nova Blast attack. But as I watched him prepare his finisher he appeared to be clenching onto his stomach. That's gotta be one powerful flame he's cookin' in there, I thought.

The boy issued the command, "Gaomon, fall back! Now!"

"Yes, master!" the blue dog ceased his attack and leapt right out of harm's way.

Having spent the last couple of minutes being beaten up by a small blue dog, Citramon looked really angry now. Rather than go after Gaomon he shifted his focus to the helmeted T-Rex in front of him. He slowly started making his move, and just as he began to charge at his new foe at full pelt…

Greymon bellowed out a fearsome roar… followed by a burp. As he belched, he managed to shoot out a fireball at the giant fruit monster. It wasn't quite the big, flaming Nova Blast I'd imagined, but as soon as Citramon was struck by the fireball he was incinerated in a matter of seconds. He exploded into hundreds of tiny light particles, which then reformed to create an orange and green egg.

Well, that was underwhelming. But I'll take that over the chaos that could have ensued anyday.

Greymon de-evolved back to his smaller self, and we watched as the egg gently floated towards the ground. Next to the egg was what appeared to be some bits of charred orange peel. They certainly didn't belong to Citramon, though; that was the remains of DemiGreymon's snack from earlier. I don't know who would want to eat orange peel anyway, the taste is so vile that perhaps it's too much even for the bottomless pit that is a Digimon's stomach.

"I told you, you were supposed to peel that thing!"

"Do what now?" my partner grinned.

Soon after the dust had settled – not that there really was any – me and the other guy ended up sitting down somewhere and talking. As we did, we watched as hundreds of people poured out of the cinema, blissfully unaware of the giant monster fight that occurred round back. To be fair, the movie was probably more entertaining.

"I apologise for the confusion earlier," the boy began to explain, "Officially, as far as the animated show was concerned, Digisoul's name was changed to 'DNA' in English speaking regions. Nobody really knows why, but to avoid confusion with new recruits we tend to use whatever terminology was used in that region's version of the fictional material."

That explained a lot, but raised many more questions. One thing I wasn't sure about was who "we" was referring to, and I wouldn't find out until much later.

"Was Digisoul a thing in the anime then?" I asked, "I don't remember it at all, at least not from what I've seen."

"It was. Just as it's the current method of human triggered evolution in the Digital World, it was the same in the most recent television show."

He then went into a bit of detail on how the anime exists, at least partially, to cover up the existence of Digimon in real life. Additional, in times of great need, the anime serves as a way to draw humans to the Digital World, which in a sense is very clever marketing. Or propaganda, depending on how you look at it. It's not something that you can make happen by yourself, though; if you have a partner there and they have a strong enough desire to meet you, that's pretty much your access granted. But it turns out that without this bond or without being granted the power of Digisoul, you cannot enter the Digital World at all. So it's not like anyone can casually waltz on it.

"Digisoul originated partially as a security measure," the boy continued, "over time, there had been an increase in people accidentally stumbling into the Digital World, and in addition to that, numerous attempts by people to literally hack their way in. Therefore, a method to effectively stop this was devised. Furthermore, Digisoul acts as a unique code that not only grants you access to the Digital World, but it allows you, and _only_ you, to trigger the evolution process in your partner Digimon."

The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. Just as hacking, computer viruses, and internet security have gotten increasingly complex over time, it would only be logical for things in the Digital World to progress in the same way.

"By the way, how did you end up getting involved in all this?" I asked,

"That's a story for another day. Perhaps I'll tell you next time we meet." the boy smirked as an expensive looking car pulled in to pick him up,

"Fair enough."

In all of that, I ended up forgetting to ask how BomberNanimon – or rather, _Citramon_ – ended up getting here. I also had a sneaking suspicion that the boy and his dog had followed him here.

"Oh, how rude of me. I forgot to introduce myself," the boy turned back before getting in the car, offering a handshake.

"Thoma H. Norstein."

 **つづく**


	4. Episode 03: Player Two

**Digimon Re:Link, Episode 03 :** " **Player Two"**

I didn't think things would get weirder after that attack by BomberNanimon yesterday. Well, maybe "attack" is the wrong word. It was more of a cameo. He arrived, changed into something else, and happened to be easily beaten by a fluke. And then the guy who appeared out of the blue to help me out decided to reveal his name before making his exit.

Thoma H. Norstein, eh?

His name drop wasn't particularly significant to me at the time, it seemed like he announced it in a way that I was supposed to recognise it. Or at least, remember it well. He at least succeeded with the latter, I suppose.

What got me though was his talk about Digisoul, this incredible power that I'd been granted upon my entry into the Digital World. Not only does it allow me to help DemiGreymon evolve, but it's also like an invisible access code that lets me into the Digital World whenever I want. He also went into a great amount of detail about its use as a security measure. By the sound of it a lot of effort went into preventing people like hackers from finding their way into the Digital World, but then that got me thinking about Bom.. er, _Citramon's_ appearance at that retail park last night; with all that talk about security, you'd think it would work both ways. How often have Digimon appeared in the Real World before? Or was that just an isolated incident?

But more importantly, what was he doing in the real world? How did he find his way here? With security that tight, I didn't think there was even the slightest chance he'd arrived by accident.

Maybe it was an urge to see more of that other world myself, a drive for adventure that I've not really felt before. Either that or I wanted to find out for myself why and how that monster came into this world. Perhaps there was a forced sense of duty driving me to prevent it from happening again. Either way, me and DemiGreymon were going back there to do some exploring.

I hadn't used my computer in a couple of days, but I just happened to still have the Digimon game open on the web browser. Logging into my account, the game interface loaded up, and there was that forest by the Primary Village again. Makes sense that it would dump me there as that's where we last left off. I took the opportunity to have a swirl around with the game camera, making sure we weren't about to be ambushed by a larger Digimon – I mean, with the first thing that happened to me being a close encounter with a giant, hungry stag beetle, I couldn't help but be paranoid. With the Digivice in hand, I pointed it towards the screen, pressed the middle button, and was once again blinded by a flash of white light.

This is gonna take some getting used to, I thought.

The light faded, and there I was again in that familiar forest pathway near the village. DemiGreymon had apparently let himself out of the Digivice and was standing side by side with me.

"So, where to?" he smiled at me, eagerly. Clearly, DemiGreymon was looking forward to this, maybe more so than I was. He'd been waiting a long time for this moment, so I don't really blame him.

I was about to make a great speech about how we'd explore this strange new world, battle whatever evil forces come our way, and boldly go where man may or may not have gone before-

"Sorry, but I need you to stop by the village first!" _JESUS CHRIST, WHERE DID YOU COME FROM._

Dave apparently felt the need to sneak up behind us to tell us that. God, that startled me.

There was something a bit different about Dave today. Gone was the familiar black and red, robe-like outfit that Gennai was known for; instead, his new getup reminded me more of the Grandad character from that old _Hooky Street_ sitcom. He had a flat cap and everything too, not to mention a smoking pipe that served no apparent purpose.

I had to ask, and he simply responded: "I felt it was important to make myself more distinguishable from my Japanese counterpart."

So basically, he got fed up with people confusing him with Gennai. Fair enough.

"But never mind that. Come with me!" he led the way as we walked into the village. I really wanted to get away from this overbearingly bright, colourful, and deliberately kid-friendly environment, but oh well, here we were again.

He led us straight into the middle of the village. Well, at least we were theoretically out of harm's way for a little while. But what he led us to was sort of interesting; it was a red egg with black stripes, and looked like it was about to hatch.

"Why'd you want to show us this?" I asked, "This isn't Kuwagamon's egg, is it?"

"No, this has nothing to do with him at all. This is a completely different Digimon, in fact the egg only appeared in this spot a few moments ago. This one will be of some interest to you, though."

So, instead of exploring the nearby forest as originally planned, we sat around waiting for this egg to hatch. Dave had this weird grin on his face the whole time, it seemed like he was up to something. Either that or he was hiding a very important detail about the egg.

After a few minutes, the egg finally started to crack, and out popped a baby Digimon. This newly hatched creature looked very similar to Botamon, only his head – or rather, his entire body – was red, adorned with a pair of ears that were like tiny dragon wings. His beady little eyes looked on at us as he awoke to see the world around him.

He stared at me and DemiGreymon. It was almost as if he was surprised to see a human and a Digimon standing side by side. There also seemed to be a look of longing on his face as he saw us together. Then, he looked up to the sky, and his face completely lit up. In almost an instant, he was overcome with joy.

"Jo-ji!" the baby Digimon leapt out of his egg shell, "Jo-ji! Jo-ji! Jo-ji!" he squeaked as he bounced up and down on the spot. I recall Botamon doing something very similar the other day –

Wait, hang on. "Jo-ji"? Where have I heard that before?

Jo-ji, Jo-ji. Is that supposed to be someone's na – oh no. I looked up to the sky to see what the baby Digimon was seeing.

" _GEORGIE?!"_ Much to my dismay, I saw a familiar looking, floating rectangle shape in which I could see him. You may remember me introducing my younger brother, the MMO addict, a couple of episodes ago? Well, looks like he got fed up with whatever he was playing this time and has been suckered into this Digimon "game", much the same as I was the other day.

"What's the meaning of this?" I demanded, as I turned to Dave.

"It's quite simple, really," Dave laughed, "your brother is Jyarimon's partner!"

"That's _not_ what I meant," I glared back at the old man. It was bad enough that my own everyday life had suddenly been wrecked to pieces with my own introduction to the Digital World, but now my little brother was about to be dragged into all this too. I wasn't particularly happy about it at the time, let's put it that way.

"I'm sorry for your grief, but with everything going on as of late we need all the help we can get… especially from the British Isles. Besides, this little Digimon here has been waiting to see Georgie for some time."

Hm. Much like DemiGreymon with me then, I thought. I looked up to the sky again, and happened to notice that he was holding a Digivice toy. Come to think of it, I think I got him that for his birthday a few years ago. It was the Season 3 design with a card slot, and it came with a Guilmon card.

"Ah, excellent. He found it!" Dave noticed the same thing as I did, "Well then, Jyarimon. It's time to bring him here, don't you think?"

The baby Digimon squeaked happily in response.

My eye twitched. But then again, maybe having another tamer around wouldn't be such a bad thing, even if it has to be my brother. By the sounds of that phone call I got yesterday, there literally _is_ nobody else available in my area, so I guess they're not left with much choice but to lure us both in.

I looked back up at the screen-like object in the sky, and watched as my brother reacted to the bright flash of light coming from his computer screen. The light faded, and he was no longer there. I then watched as a stream of golden yellow data particles descended from the sky, before materialising into my sibling as they got to the ground. He was shielding his eyes with his arms, much the same way as I was the other day.

Georgie slowed moved his arms away from his face, "What the… where am I?"

"In the Digital World," I answered bluntly.

"…Steven? Is that you?"

No, I'm the Ghost of Christmas Past.

Before my brother had time to absorb what was going on around him, his overly excited Jyarimon leapt straight into his arms.

"Jo-ji, Jo-ji, Jo-ji, Jo-ji!" the baby Digimon continued to squeak.

"Uh… hello there…?" my brother was completely weirded out. Yup, I know the feeling, having been there and done that already.

It took a little bit of effort, but Dave then took the time to explain to him that he didn't fall asleep at the computer while playing his game, but he was, in fact, in the Digital World, and that he was chosen to be Jyarimon's tamer. Well, I still wasn't given an official term for what we were known as, so "tamer" would have to do for now. It's less of a mouthful than "DigiDestined", at least.

"No, I still don't get it," Georgie frowned as he tried to wrap his head around it all, "there couldn't be another world made of data. That's just… not possible."

"Well, you're standing in the middle of it," I responded, "what more proof do you need?"

"I'm dreaming, aren't I?"

"Nope."

"No," he laughed, "I'm pretty sure I'm dreaming right now, mate."

"OK. If you're dreaming, then, why am I having the same dream?"

"I'm gonna wake up any second now," he calmly nodded with a smug grin, "Aaaaanny second."

"Alright, okay, okay! You're gonna wake up in three… two… one!"

I clicked my fingers. And nothing happened.

"…But… I always wake up from countdowns in dreams…" he pondered for a moment, "No. No way, man. I don't believe this."

"Well, I didn't either. And yet here we are."

"OK then. If this is really the Digimon world, then why's Greymon so tiny?" he looked in the direction of my partner.

"Oh, this is _Demi_ Greymon," I introduced my brother to him.

"Uh… hi there," my partner Digimon waved awkwardly.

" _What_ Greymon?" Georgie tilted his head.

"Well…" I scratched my head, "You may or may not remember that… _fanfic_ I wrote years ago."

"No… no I don – oh yeah, that! I remember now."

Frankly I'm surprised he remembers it at all, he was only a little kid when I wrote that. Come to think of it, I think I wrote him in as a character in that too.

"Then, who's the old geezer?" Georgie asked as he turned to Dave, "He looks a bit like Grandad."

I think I saw Dave's eye twitch. I could be wrong, though.

"I'm Dave, the British counterpart of the world-famous Gennai, and your friendly guide to the Digital World's British Region!"

British _Region?_ That's news to me. Or rather, this was my first time learning that the Digital World even had such a thing. But then maybe I should have connected the dots already; after all, Dave had already introduced himself specifically as Gennai's British counterpart, in addition to mentioning the apparent lack of available tamers in real world Britain.

"OK, one more thing," Georgie turned back to me, "If you're really here in this Digital World with me, how comes I didn't see you on the screen?"

"… Actually, yeah. Why is that?" I asked Dave.

"I believe you learned from Master Norstein that the TV show you know exists to cover up the presence of the Digital World. The same goes for the game interface you see on the computer screen; we have to hide your presence here, too."

He turned back to Georgie, "Imagine seeing your brother running around on the game screen. Would that not seem very strange to you?"

"…Oh, OK. Yeah, that makes sense," Georgie nodded. He was still trying to wrap his head around the whole thing. He still didn't believe it, I could tell. Not that I blame him, it was a lot for me to take in too. Maybe I absorbed it all a bit more quickly as I happened to jump right into a life-threatening situation the moment I got here.

Jyarimon started squeaking again, sounding a bit unhappy now.

"Alright. Whaddya want, mate?" Georgie asked the baby dragon.

"He's hungry. You should probably feed him," I told him.

He stared at me blankly, "…Feed him? What with? How do I do that?"

With food? _Duh?_

"Use your Digivice!" Dave instructed him.

"My wha- oh." Georgie happened to notice there and then that he was still holding his Digivice toy. Or rather, it had upgraded from the toy to the latest model of the Digivice. It was very much like mine, only, it was a golden yellow colour with bits of white and red.

Yeah, you can probably see where this is going.

"We'll leave you guys to it for now," I was itching to get going and actually see something in this world. I'm sure DemiGreymon was feeling the same way.

"Oh yeah, that's the other thing I needed to talk to you about;" Dave stopped me in my tracks, "I've sensed a disturbance just South of this village. Do you think you guys could check it out?"

"Uh, yeah, okay," Well, why not. It'll give us something to do while Georgie gets used to his Digimon. I awkwardly waved to my brother who watched in mild confusion as we walked off. The exit for the Primary Village – incidentally, the exact spot that battle with Kuwagamon took place the other day – happened to be facing southeast, so we essentially left the way we came. Following the Digivice's radar, we had to veer off the forest pathway and make our way through the trees surrounding it instead.

As a sidenote, the trees here were somehow very ordinary looking. At least, they were to me. They almost appeared to have been rooted straight up from the real world, brought here, and copied and pasted in place several hundred thousand times. Perhaps that was an effort to make this particular region feel more "British". They didn't feel all that different from what I knew, so I guess they succeeded in that regard.

"So," DemiGreymon attempted to make conversation, "Any idea where we're going?"

"What the… how would _I_ know? I've only been here once before, haven't even seen much of the place yet. If anything you should know this place better than I do."

"Hey, go easy on me! I only hatched two days ago!"

And the more I think about that in retrospect, the weirder it sounds. Maybe I didn't notice at the time, but only because my mind was already preoccupied with another matter.

"And even then, the world isn't really how I remember it. Every so often the entire Digital World shifts around, one minute a place or a thing is there and before you know it, it's… hey, are you listening?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry mate," I apologised as I shook my head.

"You're worried about your brother, aren't you?"

Yeah, I guess that was obvious.

"Don't worry!" DemiGreymon tried reassuring me, "I'm sure he'll be fine with Jyarimon around!"

"… A newly hatched baby Digimon."

"Well… think about it! Remember how quickly I evolved when I met you?"

He made a fair point, actually. I thought that was just a result of the glitch, but then I learned only yesterday that I have the power to make him instantaneously evolve in battle. I hoped it wouldn't be long before my brother learned to use Digisoul too, though it occurred to me that I would have to teach him how to use it, just as Thoma did for me yesterday.

Either way, my brother was here now, and he too knew of the Digital World's existence and wouldn't simply forget about it if I had him sent home. I guess it couldn't be helped. Still, DemiGreymon did his best to reassure me over the matter, I suppose that's his way of returning the favour after our chat yesterday.

Before I knew it the forest had come to an abrupt end, and in front of us now was a massive lake. Though, it was more of this big, empty, open space that happened to have a great big lake in the middle of it, surrounded by some trees. It was just… _there_.

"Wow." Such lake.

While it wasn't a particularly interesting sight compared to what I've seen in the real world, I was getting a sense of déjà vu. Something about it looked familiar but I couldn't pinpoint exactly what. Several images were popping up in my head of places I had been to before. A school trip? Holiday with the family? Could've been anything.

"Hey, what's that over there?" DemiGreymon pointed to the right, towards what appeared to be a disused, abandoned, jumbled looking mess of a concrete structure beyond the trees.

"A building," I replied.

"I know _that,_ " he huffed in response to my straightforward answer.

To be honest, I was lost for a real answer as I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Like the lake next to it, the building kind of looked like a mishmash of a few places I've been to that happened to be built next to a lake. A shopping centre, a swimming pool complex… come to think of it, that retail park we fought Citramon at was also next to a lake.

And then it hit me. Mishmash or not, this was basically the Digital World's version of that. To think it was practically next door to the Primary Village, which was really strange as you couldn't see it from there. Was this the disturbance that Dave picked up on? Were more Digimon queuing up to attack the real world?

"We should check it out," I turned back to DemiGreymon.

"Uh, Steven?" he pointed up at the sky nervously, "Maybe now's not the time for that."

Confused, I looked up to where he was pointing. Up in the air and well above the lake was an Airdramon; a serpentine, dragon-like Digimon with big red wings and a skull-like mask on its head.

It sort of hovered in place, as if watching over us from above. Otherwise, it seemed to be minding its own business.

"Don't make any sudden movements," DemiGreymon warned me, "I've got a bad feeling about this."

Not that I blame him. Perhaps my own paranoia was rubbing off on him. If this is where rogue Digimon were attacking my home town from, then we were all that was standing in its way, assuming there weren't already any Digimon inside the building. If a creature with almost no destructive capabilities like Citramon was able to appear in the Real World yesterday, then I'd hate to see what would happen if an Airdramon made it there, I thought.

A few moments had passed, and Airdramon was ready to make its move. It flapped its wings, and then suddenly dive bombed right down towards the lake. Just seconds before reaching the water's surface, it swooped back up and flew straight towards us at an incredible velocity.

"Holy crap, he's coming right at us!" Thank you, Captain Obvious.

…Oh, wait, that was me.

"Then what're you waiting for?!" DemiGreymon demanded, "Digisoul, _PLEASE!"_

"Alright alright, gotcha," so I did the thing where I focus some energy, set my hand on fire, touch the Digivice, and boom.

The sphere of light enveloped my partner as he grew bigger, turning into the full-size Greymon once more. No less an awe-inspiring sight than yesterday, but there wasn't much time to appreciate it as Airdramon was mere seconds away from smashing into him headfirst.

"Steven, get out of the way, now!" Greymon warned me. I quickly ran aside as he prepared himself.

With just a moment to spare and some very careful timing, Greymon swung his massive tail, whacking Airdramon around the head and sending it crashing into some nearby trees, knocking several of them over in the process. The dragon was downed, but this didn't stop it from aimlessly thrashing about as he attempted to take flight again.

Greymon approached the flailing Airdramon with caution, preparing to finish it off - before being struck in the back by an icy cold blast. Taken by surprise by the attack, Greymon tripped over himself and crashed to the ground.

Wait, where'd _that_ come from?!

I turned to see another Digimon that had emerged from the lake. A gigantic, serpentine sea dragon, appropriately named Seadramon. The monster roared as it loomed over us. It was absolutely terrifying. Not to mention we now had two Champion level Digimon double-teaming us, that's not fair!

Once again I found myself in a tough position. Like, what am I supposed to do now? Make Greymon evolve further? And how would I go about doing that without some kind of crazy power boost which I couldn't pull off no matter what I did? All I could do at this point was have faith in my partner Digimon… or, I could throw a rock at Seadramon. Though I doubt I'd achieve much in doing that.

Airdramon had now freed itself from the pile of trees it was buried under. It hovered near us, almost menacingly, like it was about to go in for the kill. I say "almost", because it seemed more soulless than menacing, and something about that was downright freaky.

I was frozen on the spot. Meanwhile, Greymon was unmoved. He was willing and ready to take these two dragons on, in order to protect me, no matter what; "If these guys have a problem with you being here, then they'll have to go through _me_ first."

Ignoring the airborne dragon, he turned to face Seadramon, with an almost smug look on his face.

"Steven, your brother will be fine. Trust me. If his partner doesn't, then I'll make sure of it. You might appreciate him being here after all."

Greymon's words filled me with some confidence… but wait, what did he mean by tha-

" _ROCK BREAKER!"_ I turned to see Airdramon getting smashed in the face by a red blur. Hovering in place one moment and back on the ground the next, Airdramon was left flailing about again. I then saw a smaller red dinosaur standing nearby, growling at his opponent as Airdramon was soon hovering in the air again. Notably, this little guy had the same, wing-like ears as the baby Jyarimon from the village earlier. Notably also, his white underbelly had a very distinct marking on it, like a triangular biohazard symbol.

"GUILMON!" I heard a familiar voice screaming, "GUILMON, GET BACK HERE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING- oh."

Oh crap. Now my brother was here. Well, I hate to say it, but his timing was impeccable. And it looks like his Digimon has already reached the Rookie level.

"Georgie! What are you doing here?!" I called out to him.

"Guilmon ran off, so I followed him here!"

Ah, fair enough.

Now it was a fairer fight. Well, sort of. Two versus two. A clash of titans and a little one just waiting to happen. An eerie silence filled the air as the monsters stared each other down, waiting to make their move.

Airdramon then let out an ear-piercing screech, as it shot at full speed towards Greymon.

Greymon turned, ready to attack the airborne dragon that was speeding towards him, when suddenly, Airdramon was struck by an icy cold blast from Seadramon. The dragon crashed to the ground, and… wait, what? Seadramon? Why did he…?

Hang on, wasn't he just picking a fight with us a moment ago? What's going on?

Greymon turned, ready to attack Airdramon again. Seadramon did the same. Hm. An interesting turn of events, but I wondered what brought this about. Why was a wild Digimon who was attacking us before suddenly helping out?

"Don't worry Steven, he's on our side now!" Greymon assured me, "But there's something wrong with _this_ guy!"

Now that I think about it, there was a hint of a red glow in Airdramon's eye. Not to mention that blank, soulless stare it was giving off.

"Just as I feared," a familiar voice said from behind me. I turned to see Dave had appeared out of nowhere again, "Airdramon has been infected."

What? Infected? What do you mean infected?

"What's going on?" My brother asked, watching in astonishment as Guilmon stood by him, irises narrowed and snarling. Seems he _really_ wanted a piece of Airdramon.

"It appears that a virus has been forcefully installed into this Airdramon," Dave explained, "it's being used to control the Digimon and force it to act against its will. Not that this is anything new to us, but these methods of control have grown increasingly complex and dangerous over the years." In other words, the building in the background that I'd been worrying about had nothing to do with the disturbance he had sensed whatsoever.

Figures that a Digital Monster could be infected by a computer virus. Much the same way we humans get ill in the real world. Only difference is, we aren't suddenly obeying the will of an evil overlord or whoever's behind this.

Airdramon took flight again. With a mighty flap of its wings came a powerful gust of wind, forcing Greymon to hold steady.

With a quick shot of a fireball aimed at Seadramon's face, the similarly named air dragon then shot off from the spot crashing into Greymon and knocking the dinosaur down again. It flew high above the lake and began circling around.

"And the only reason we know it has been infected at all?" Dave continued, "Infections like this can be detected by Digimon carrying the markings of the Digital Hazard, such as Guilmon here!"

" _PYRO SPHERE!"_ Guilmon shot a series of fireballs up into the air as the dragon continued to fly in circles. All of his shots missed, except for his last, a well-aimed fireball that blew up in Airdramon's face and caught it off guard.

Before the dust cleared, Seadramon shot an icy cold blast at Airdramon, knocking it out of the sky and leaving it freefalling. Seadramon then caught Airdramon midair, coiling its tail around the other dragon. It glared at Greymon, as if telling him to finish the fight.

Greymon glanced back at me, as if awaiting my command.

But… he's being controlled, isn't he? Shouldn't we be fighting to free him from his mind control? We can't just kill him, especially if we don't know anything about the virus that's causing it!

"Unfortunately, there are times like this when you can't afford to be merciful," Dave shook his head, regretfully, "As it stands, it's difficult to pinpoint what kind of method they are using, so there's not much else we can do."

Hmph… so in other words, it's better to put him out of his misery. I gave the nod to Greymon, who then turned back to face his opponent. He bellowed out a mighty roar, as a flame burned brightly in his mouth.

" _NOVA FLAME!"_ He shot a white-hot fireball at Airdramon. Seadramon uncoiled itself just in time to not be caught in the crossfire. In a matter of seconds, the fireball impacted and incinerated Airdramon. The smoke cleared, and data particles could be seen floating up in the air from where he once was, before scattering and disappearing.

Well… we won. I guess.

Guilmon calmed down, "Virus eliminated!" He cheered, in glee. His tamer, my brother, was still totally perplexed at the events that just unfolded in front of him. Yeah, I know how you feel, bro. Been there, done that.

We didn't have long to celebrate, as Seadramon was now snarling at us, like it was ready to attack at any moment.

"OK guys, let's get outta here," Greymon led us away from the lake. Well, better not to kill Seadramon for no reason, since he helped us out an' all. I think.

Soon enough, we were back on that familiar forest walkway. Greymon de-evolved back to his smaller self.

"What was his deal, anyway?" I asked DemiGreymon, regarding Seadramon.

"Oh, he was just defending his territory. He got mad at us for invading. But he helped out in the fight, so he seems reasonable enough!"

 _The enemy of my enemy is my friend,_ as the proverb goes. Quickly followed by _Get off my lawn._

"Many Digimon will be protective of their territory, so it's wise to be cautious around them if you can," Dave warned, "But as it stands now, that's the least of your problems going forward."

Right. Airdramon was being controlled by someone, or something.

"Unfortunately, it's difficult to pinpoint what is happening to the Digimon in question. In the past, evil Digimon, and even humans, have used physical methods such as black gears and rings to enslave Digimon. But as soon as we can identify the tools they're using, that will give us a clue as to how to free the enslaved Digimon, and find out who's behind this."

Now that rings a bell.

"It's because of these malicious devices that the wild Digimon of this world are more wary than ever. Humans like yourself have been chosen to save this world before, but like I said, there is also a history of humans coming to the Digital World with malicious intent. Naturally, the Digimon here aren't sure who can be trusted."

Surely, all it would take would be to see a not-very-threatening human walking around with a partner Digimon. But with crazies like that also running around, who can blame them?

Georgie turned to me, raising an eyebrow, "What on Earth have you gotten me into?"

Hey! Don't blame _me_ for this, you little git!

"Still, you boys were brought to this world for a reason," Dave folded his arms, with a confident grin, "You're both following in the footsteps of many who came before you, chosen to protect the Digital World from harm. You have much to learn, but from the very bottom of my Digicore, I have every bit of faith that you'll do a fine job."

 **つづく**


	5. Episode 04: Phoenix Rising

**Digimon Re:Link, Episode 04 : "Phoenix Rising"**

It's been a few days since that incident at the lake. After some much needed time off to wrap my head around everything that's happened so far, I'm off to the Digital World once again.

What we thought was a feral Airdramon attacking us for no reason turned out to be under some sort of of spell. Or more accurately, it had somehow been infected with a virus, allowing someone, or something, to take complete control of its actions.

Not even a week into my discovery of the Digital World and we've already got an unknown enemy picking a fight with us. Seems they've only just made their debut and we were the first to fight them. But of all the people and Digimon they could've picked on, why were they specifically targeting us? Or for that matter, given the apparent lack of presence of British tamers, why would they specifically attack the Digital World's British Region? Surely, the Region is kind of just there and not of much particular significance to the rest of the Digital World? Who knows what they're thinking. Maybe one day I'll get to meet them, so that they can fill me in on their generic evil plans.

Speaking of Regions, Dave was kind enough to inform me that the Digital World - or rather, the "current version" as he put it - shares a lot of parallels with the Real World. Turns out there are some loose similarities, or rather, it's directly based on the real world to an extent. That's apparently down to a lot of geographical data from the internet. For example, the British Region is basically the British Isles, and I guess elsewhere the North American Region is pretty much its namesake continent. Maybe it's just me, but whatever created this version of the Digital World was lacking imagination.

As for that lake we were at yesterday; as I suspected, it was kind of a mishmash of different locations around my part of England. It was mostly similar to the Hanningfield Reservoir. Maybe it was just a coincidence, but I found it odd that my real-world location would just happen to correlate with a Primary Village in the Digital World. Or maybe that too was a mix of different towns. On that note, I wondered if I'd get a chance to see the Digital World's version of London. If it's just another Primary Village, that would kind of suck.

The other day, Dave told me that there aren't really a whole lot of tamers around from the British Isles, or at least, in my area. I wondered if that had anything to do with the franchise basically being dead here. Apparently because of this, I've got some extra help coming my way. I've been told that another, more experienced tamer, will be shuffling over to the UK all the way from Japan to lend us a hand. I wondered if it was that Thoma guy from the other day, but it would only be a matter of time before he joined up too.

Still, moving all the way from Japan to the UK just for the Digital World's sake? That somehow seems incredibly unfair, and here I thought the prospect of balancing my digital heroics with inevitable heaps of University work was a tall order. But on top of that, this person is effectively going from their own familiar culture to a completely different world. Not to mention they have quite the language barrier facing them. I hope they know enough English to get them by, at least.

Before long, Dave had led me and DemiGreymon to a particular point of interest. This was known as an International Terminal, or an Interminal for short. It was a small, fancy and modern looking building that appeared to be made out of glass. It reminded me of something.

"It's basically the Digital World's equivalent of an airport," he explained to me, "But rather than flying all the way to the other side of the world, you will be warped there via an information superhighway in a matter of seconds."

 _Holy crap._ Why was I so surprised to hear this? Of course, it doesn't take long for information to reach the other side of the world via the internet, unlike in the real world where we'd have to sit inside a flying metal tube for several hours. But the thought of traversing the length of a twelve hour flight in just twelve seconds blew my mind.

"So when are we meeting this person?" DemiGreymon seemed a lot more eager than I did, "I wonder what kind of Digimon is with them?"

"We agreed to meet at 9am GMT sharp," Dave started looking at his watch, "Which should be roughly about… now."

An electronic frazzling sound came from within the building. A bright, multicoloured light could also be seen, forming an oval shape. This could only be one thing: the portal linking this Interminal to another in the Japanese Region.

Out of the portal stepped a familiar looking silhouette. This wasn't the tamer I was expected to meet, but it was a short, old man who looked like an identical twin to Dave. He was even wearing that familiar black and red robe-like outfit that I first met Dave in.

"Good morning, Gennai," Dave greeted his doppelganger, "It's been a long time."

"Ohayō, Dave-san," Gennai bowed to greet his British counterpart, "It's good to see you again."

Turns out that Gennai's name is pronounced with a hard G. Interesting.

He turned to me: "You must be Steven. I've heard a lot about you!"

Soon following him was a girl with mid-length, reddish-brown hair. She was slightly taller than me. Something about her was vaguely familiar, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. She seemed nervous and somewhat discontent. Not that I blame her, what with this frankly terrible idea of having her move all the way over here and everything.

And finally, following the girl out of the portal was a pink, bird-like Digimon. It had a bright red beak, and claws at the end of its wings. Its bright pink feathers were accented by blue edges. I'd recognise this Digimon anywhere: this was a Biyomon.

"Good morning! Or is that 'good evening' to you?"

Please shut up, Dave.

I was visibly exasperated at his attempt at a joke. By the time I turned to face the girl, we suddenly made eye contact and she shyly turned away, blushing furiously. Did she have a thing for me? No, of course not. In all likelihood it was her first time speaking to a foreigner face-to-face. Heck, I'd be nervous too.

"Why don't you introduce yourself?" Gennai asked the girl.

She remained silent, and seemingly anxious. At least, until Biyomon took her hand.

"Daijōbu," the bird spoke softly to her partner.

The girl nodded. She took a deep breath, and then turned to me.

"I'm Takenouchi Sora," the girl introduced herself with a gentle smile, bowing, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Now where do I know that name from-oh. _OH MY GOODNESS_. It really was her!

Actually, I'm not sure what surprised me more; the fact that she bore a remarkable resemblance to her anime namesake, or that she spoke astoundingly good English.

"And I'm Piyomon!" The bird chirped.

Pi… wait, what? _Pi_ yomon? Oh, OK. Fine.

"Uh… I'm Steven, and this is my partner, DemiGreymon," I awkwardly introduced us.

"Demi _Grey_ mon?" Sora tilted her head.

"He's a new species! Well, sort of," Dave explained, "He came about as a result of a fanfi-"

"A _glitch_ ," I quickly corrected Dave, as a bemused, possibly offended DemiGreymon glanced at me.

I definitely did _not_ want Sora to find out about that old fanfiction I wrote. This is between you and me, dear reader; once again following in the footsteps of that old friend of mine, I included her as a character in that. We maaay have both had a thing for her. Not that there was anything particularly, how should I put it... _inappropriate_ , about the way I wrote her in, but the whole damn thing is embarrassing to bring up at all. It's weird enough that the real world namesake of my old anime crush is basically standing before me, and bringing up something like that would make things awkward. I don't need that. And I'm certain she doesn't, either.

"Yes, I was just getting to that," Dave coughed, "He evolved in this way from Koromon because of an odd glitch that has him show traits of his next form."

"I see. So he's at the Child stage?" Sora asked.

I turned to Dave, "The... what now?"

"It's the original term for the Rookie level."

Oh, come on! First _G_ ennai, then _Pi_ yomon, and now the _Child_ stage? Was my childhood just a big fat lie?

… Actually, if DemiGreymon's a stuck-in-between form, wouldn't that make him a Teenager?

"Anyway, we'll leave you two alone to get to know each other," Dave gave me a pat on the back.

"Indeed, we have a lot of catching up to do," Gennai nodded.

Soon, we were sitting on a nearby patch of grass. The scenery here was actually rather pleasant, with a river just downhill and a forest close by. The digital sun shone brightly and a cool, gentle breeze blew through the air. It was in stark contrast to real world England, where it was dingy and raining.

It was probably the ideal spot for a nap. Not so much for breaking the ice.

A long, awkward silence fell over us as neither of us said a word. She's just come all the way over from the other side of the world to meet a complete stranger. On the flipside, I'm not particularly good when it comes to new people, especially in situations like this. Needless to say, we weren't getting anywhere fast.

Welp. One of us has to get the ball rolling.

"So, uh… Sora, was it?" I asked, awkwardly. Even though I already knew the answer to that question.

As I turned to her, she appeared to be taken aback by what I'd just asked.

"Uh… did I say something wrong?" I was totally perplexed by her reaction. What did I do? I mean, that _is_ your name, isn't it?

"... I'm sorry," she smiled.

What are you apologising for?

"I forgot, your formalities are different here."

Come to think of it, she did just introduce herself with her surname first. And that's just _one_ of the cultural differences so far. I've watched a fair share of anime in my time, but I always wondered why the last name comes first in Japan.

She was kind enough to teach me that, in Japan, they typically refer to each other by their family names, with given names only being used by people who are close - which explains her reaction a moment ago. I guess that's not too dissimilar from the Western world, where you'd usually be known by your first name, but your surname for more formal occasions. Or if there's more than one Steve around.

"I see! So, do I call you by your surname, or your first name?" She asked.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that. Just Steven is fine. Or Steve. Or a nickname. Whatever you prefer." I don't mind, really. But the surname is sensitive information. She knows it, but you won't. I have to draw a line somewhere.

And on that note; am I using her real name, or is "Sora Takenouchi" a code name being used to hide this person's identity? I don't know if I'm allowed to say, so I'll leave that to your imagination.

"A nickname?" She asked, "Let's see... How about Ste-kun?"

"Kun?"

"It's an honorific mainly used for boy's names in Japan."

I was vaguely familiar with the concept of honorifics, but not really sure what any of them meant. This was essentially my first Japanese language lesson.

But yeah. Ste-kun. I like it. I gave my thumbs up of approval.

"So, how did you get involved in all this?" I asked.

"Years ago, some friends and I were all at a school summer camp. Before we knew it, it was snowing, our Digivices fell from the sky, and then we were transported to the Digital World."

That sounds... _familiar._

"Right. After everything that happened, production began on an anime based on our adventures. I recall the reason being something about hiding the very existence of the Digital World."

That also sounds familiar. In fact, this is exactly what Thoma was talking about the other day. I wasn't entirely sure if fictionalising the Digimon and their world was _really_ the best way to hide the fact that they existed at all, but there we go.

... And that's not even getting to the fact that your names and likenesses are being used in a fictional retelling of your adventures. Again, if those even _are_ your real names. Why do I get the feeling that there's some kind of blackmail involved?

"But long before that, a Greymon and a Parrotmon appeared and were fighting to the death in my old hometown Hikarigaoka. I'd forgotten about it for years, in fact, I thought it was all a dream. But when I woke up the next morning they were talking about a terror attack all over the news, and before I knew it we were moving away to Odaiba."

"You mean to tell me that actually happened? How on Earth is there no recorded evidence of that ever taking place? Surely, _someone_ would have got that on camera?"

"Who knows," Sora shook her head, none the wiser than I was, "It happened in the middle of the night, and there were these weird electrical surges throughout the whole city. Power cuts, phone lines were down… maybe that had something to do with it."

"What about VenomMyotismon? The big battle in Tokyo with him, did that also happen?"

"Venom… oh, you mean Venom _Vamde_ mon?"

 _Oh for Pete's sake._

"Yes, unfortunately, he did also appear in the Real World. His attack on Odaiba was exaggerated in the anime, but still…"

Wait, what? How does something as big as _that_ just get _covered up?_ Flippin' heck. Did millions of people have their memories wiped clean by the DigiMen in Black?

"Odaiba was completely covered by a fog barrier made by Vamdemon. The island was isolated from the rest of Tokyo. There was a lot of confusion throughout the city, but no one outside of Odaiba saw what happened."

"Oh, right. So what about the people on the island?"

"They were all captured by Vamdemon and put under a spell… even our parents. Most of them don't remember what happened. As for those who did, well, they didn't know what to make of it. Even so, the damage was done, and they… no, _we,_ all had to move on with our lives."

Good grief. Sounds like Sora's seen it all and had to accept the reality she was faced with. But I couldn't begin to imagine the utter chaos that would ensue if even _one_ person caught a glimpse of that fight with Citramon the other day.

"So what about you?" Sora changed the subject, "What's your story?"

I gave her a rundown on what happened to me the other day, as I was minding my own business and then promptly sucked into the Digital World where I met DemiGreymon for the first time. I also told her about my own earlier experience with Digimon, in the form of the v-pets back in my school days. I'll be sure to fill you in on that soon enough.

"...And then, my old v-pet turned into this," I took my Digivice out of my pocket to show her.

"Silver and red," Sora noted the colour scheme, "That reminds me of a rumour I've heard. Maybe it's more like a prophecy. They say that a chosen child with a silver and red Digivice holds the key to the fate of the Digital World… or something like that."

...What? Oh, great. So now I've been thrown into a bad _'Chosen One'_ plot.

Actually, that would explain why this unknown enemy we're facing has apparently painted a bull's eye on my back. They know the fate of the world is lying in my hands.

"You seem discontent," she noticed.

"Well, suddenly I'm feeling a lot more weight on my shoulders." Believe it or not, I really don't like being in the spotlight. And I profoundly hate drawing attention to myself. I guess when you're a kid and you watch all these kinds of shows, you dream about being the hero yourself. But when that situation throws itself in your face and you're not prepared for it? It's a whole different story.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine. I'm sure of it," Sora gave me a reassuring smile, "Myself and the others… we've all been there. I'm sure there's a reason you were chosen, too."

Now that I think about it, did fate really play a part in bringing me to this world? Is it me, or the Digivice I'm holding that's supposed to be special? My Mum bought this v-pet for me as a gift. What on Earth are the odds that the one she buys just _happens_ to be the one that's key to another world's survival? What if someone else ended up with it instead of me? Could it have been misused? Lost in a landfill? Maybe that someone else would be sitting here thinking about these very things instead of me?

Oh well, I'm here now. And it's not worth me thinking about it anymore.

Time for another subject change, "So, what else are you planning on doing? Surely, the Digital World isn't the only reason you're moving over here?"

"Oh, I'll be studying Fashion Design at a university in Chelmsford."

"Really, Chelmsford? That's the same one I'm going to!" What a happy, remarkable, and totally uncontrived coincidence!

"At least I'll know someone there," she smiled again.

Another moment of silence befell us. There was less awkward tension this time, though. Much more of a relaxed air. I think we were officially friends at this point.

"So, what do you study?" She asked.

"I'm studying Multimedia Computing. Web design, graphic design, video editing… stuff like that, basically."

"That sounds interesting! An old friend of mine loves computing, and he's a specialist in programming and development."

I had a hunch of who this particular friend might be.

"I also heard you like writing?" Sora asked.

"Something to that effect, I guess. Wait, where'd you find that out?"

"Before I came here, I was told about a… a _dōjin_ that you wrote."

"A… dōjin?"

"Yes…" she seemed somewhat uncomfortable about the subject, despite bringing it up herself.

"I don't follow. What's that?"

"Oh. Well… a Digimon story that you published on the internet."

 _DAMN IT DAVE._

"Eeehh, let's not get into that," I waved my arms, awkwardly.

"Well, OK then. Let's see… I also heard that you like ice hockey?"

Wait. These are very specific questions. Who is telling you all this? Just how much information have they given you? How do they know this stuff? This is borderline disturbing.

"Yeah, I'm a big fan. Not that I've ever actually played it myself. I haven't even learned how to skate. There's a rink near the University but I haven't had a chance to do that yet."

"Is that so? Well then, maybe we can go skating together sometime!"

"Sounds good."

Hang on. Did she just…?

"I'm sorry… did… did that sound weird?"

"Oh no, not at all!" Pfff, yeah, right, as if she'd ask out a random stranger she just met. Get real. She's way out of your league anyway.

Speaking of leagues…

"I take it you like sports, then?" I asked.

"Always have. I've been playing tennis for a few years, and was on the team at Middle School."

"Oh wow, really? I think the University has a tennis club you could join!"

"That's good to know! I also loved soccer when I was little. Are you a soccer fan? I heard it's the most popular sport in England."

"Oooh, be careful with that S-word around these parts," I teased, "Call it anything other than 'football' and they'll be after you with torches and pitchforks!"

She gave me a confused, mildly worried stare.

"…Th… that was a joke." _Aaaarrrrggh I'm an idiot._

"I see…" she smiled, awkwardly.

I should have known there might also be a culture clash when it comes to humour. She'd get used to it soon enough.

Yet another moment of silence followed that awkward exchange. I looked to see DemiGreymon and Piyomon having a conversation of their own. I wondered what they were talking about. Maybe DemiGreymon was telling her of how much of a wise sage he sees me as, after I told him all sorts of things about the real world, like why humans can have pet cats and dogs, but not dinosaurs.

Still, in all that time I've just spent talking to Sora, there was an elephant in the room that I'd been wanting to address; the very fact that I was having a conversation with her at all. She's Japanese, but her English is astonishingly good, almost as if she'd been speaking the language her whole life. Like it was her '1b' as opposed to a second language. Her pronunciation of words was spot on to the point where, had I not known any better, I'd have thought she was from America rather than Japan. I had to ask her about it, maybe fill me in on her secret.

"That's a good question! I—"

We were interrupted by the sound of an explosion behind us.

"SORA!" "STEVEN!" Our partners came running to us as they heard it too.

"...What the heck was that?" I turned around. Back uphill, the Interminal was under attack. Without hesitation, we ran to check out the commotion.

When we got there, there was a group of five identical monsters attacking the building. The Digimon were like silver stars with arms and legs. Although at the Champion level, they weren't much taller than we were. Blue and red boots on the feet, and boxing glove-like gauntlets on their hands that looked like they'd pack a punch.

"Starmon!" Sora gasped.

"What do _they_ want?" DemiGreymon snarled.

"Wait a sec," I observed the Starmon carefully. Something about them was off. Just like that Airdramon the other day, it looked like they were under control. But why were they attacking the building? The answer should have been obvious already. Whoever this unknown entity was, they knew that the Interminal was important. They knew we could get help from that building.

"Hurry and take them out, quickly," Dave suddenly appeared behind us with Gennai, "I don't know how long the shields will hold up!"

"Dave, can you call Georgie for me?" I asked him, "We're gonna need some extra hands here."

"I'm one step ahead of you, he's already on his way."

"OK. Let's go, DemiGreymon!"

"You got it!" He nodded as he ran headfirst into battle.

"Leave it to me, Sora!" Piyomon followed him.

 _"Pepper Flame!"_ DemiGreymon began the attack with a fireball aimed at one of the Starmon. The fireball exploded as it hit the star, drawing his attention.

 _"Magical Fire!"_ Piyomon flapped her wings as she created a spiral twister of green fire. She attacked one of the other Starmon, also drawing his attention.

DemiGreymon ran at his target to attack up close. Before he could make another move, he was struck with a well-timed uppercut from Starmon, flinging him into the air, after which he crashed to the floor near where we were standing.

Piyomon made a sharp nosedive at her opponent. She too wasn't fast enough, as the Starmon she was facing fired a star-shaped laser beam at her. The bird was sent flying back.

"Piyomon!" Sora cried.

"I-I'm OK," Piyomon regained control, and gently landed back on the ground.

Damn it. Are we really gonna have to ramp it up against these chumps? Turns out they were a lot stronger than they looked.

"OK DemiGreymon," I charged the red Digisoul in my hand, "It's time to Digivolve!"

As I touched the Digivice to transfer the energy, a sphere of light enveloped my partner once more. All things considered, this was still amazing to see.

 _"DemiGreymon, Digivolve to… GREYMON!"_ His larger self emerged from the light.

Sora whipped out her own Digivice, holding it out in front of her to make Piyomon evolve. Nothing happened, leaving her confused.

"Sora? What's wrong?" Piyomon asked.

"I don't know… it's not working."

Her Digivice was of a different design to mine. The small, pale blue device fit into the palm of her hand. Three darker blue buttons were placed around either side of the screen, one on the left and two on the right. A small radio antennae protruded out of the top left of the device. It was nostalgic and iconic.

"...Ahem. Gennai?" Dave's eye twitched as he turned to his Japanese counterpart.

"Gomennasai," Gennai scratched the back of his head, "I knew I'd forgotten something."

"You _bleedin' plonker!_ " Dave screamed, "How do you just _forget_ something as important as _that?!_ "

"I'll go on ahead," Greymon charged into battle, "Back me up when you're ready!"

He breathed a red-hot flame at the Starmon. All five of them jumped out of the way just in time to avoid the attack. Their coordination was pretty spot-on, for a group of Digimon who weren't aware of what they were actually doing.

I watched the battle carefully. Trying to look for signs of what might be possessing them, so we're at least not killing them this time. Soon enough, I noticed a minor detail that I'd somehow missed before: there were these black, ring-like objects wrapped around the top point of their star heads. Could that be it?

"Evil Rings?" Gennai was also observing, "It couldn't be. Has the Digimon Kaiser returned?"

I didn't know what he was talking about, but one thing's for certain: I definitely did _not_ see any kind of ring attached to Airdramon the other day.

Either way, we had to end this quickly, "Greymon, the rings on their heads! Get 'em there!"

"Got it!" Greymon swung his massive tail around at the Starmon, who again managed to dodge the attack.

Their next move threw me off. One by one, they jumped at him, and then latched onto his arms, legs, and tail. They were trying to pin him down.

"Greymon!"

"Don't worry about me," he snarled, "I've got them… _exactly_ where I want!"

He swung his arms into the Interminal, crashing those two Starmon into the building. He then swung his tail, crashing that Starmon into the other two. Finally, he grabbed the two Starmon that were clutching onto his legs, and slammed them head first into the ground.

After the dust had settled, Greymon emerged the victor. The Starmon were all still there, but the rings had been destroyed. All five of them were knocked unconscious. I guess they'll be... _seeing stars_ for a while.

Despite the clear victory, there was still an air of uncertainty. The defensive shield on the Interminal was still active. Greymon hadn't reverted back. He was still tense. Looking around.

"Something's coming. I don't know what, but- _RRRAAARRRGGGHHHH!_ " He let out an anguished roar of pain. What's got into him?

Then I saw it. That familiar, vaguely evil glow in his eyes.

…Oh no.

Oh _hell_ no.

Jumping Jesus on a pogo stick, I don't bloody believe it.

They've taken control of Greymon.

"GREYMON! NO!" I cried out in despair. Now I was totally helpless. Sora also watched, as she desperately tried to get her Digivice to work.

"No good," Sora clutched to the device, "Why won't it activate? What am I doing wrong?"

Greymon was down on his knees. Trying to resist.

"No… you'll… never take me… _GRAAAAAAAGGGH!_ "

He's still there. There's still a faint glimmer of hope. Let's trying recalling him to my Digivice! I press the usual button, but it does nothing. Now I've got an error message flashing up on screen.

Let's try the Digisoul again! Maybe that'll… hm, nope. My aura-covered hand went right around the Digivice, like two identical magnet poles repelling each other. Another error message appears on screen. Damn it, damn it, damn it.

"Rrrrrgghhh… no… _NOOOO!_ "

And now he's coming straight at us. Slowly approaching. Oh, crap. Oh crap oh crap oh crap.

"Um, Gennai? It's not too late to tell her about _that_ , by the way," said Dave.

"I concur," Gennai nodded, "Sora, the reason your Digivice won't work is because the very method of evolving Digimon itself has changed. It's time for you to activate your Digisoul."

"D-Digisoul?" Sora asked, staring nervously at the snarling Greymon in front of us.

Hang on… _WHAT?!_

It's one thing to give her an infodump on my background and personal history that borders on violating the Data Protection Act, but you mean to tell me that, of _all_ the things, you forgot to inform her of this one _very_ important detail that's absolutely essential to her own survival?! This was so unbelievably and infuriatingly absurd that I almost ragequit on the spot.

"Oh, y'know, like this!" I demonstrated the act as I lit my hand up with the red flame of energy. Not that it would do me any good right now, what with my partner being possessed and my own Digivice currently being useless.

"...OK. Here goes." Sora nodded, before swinging her arm around like a tennis pro. Soon as she did that, her hand was engulfed in a reddish-pink flame of Digisoul. It took her by surprise. The Digivice was already in the hand that she swung, and it glowed brightly.

"That's it, Sora!" Piyomon leapt into the air as she was surrounded by a sphere of light.

 _"Piyomon, shinka! BIRDRAMON!"_ Out of the light emerged a giant, fiery bird-like Digimon. She screeched as she prepared to take down Greymon.

"Rrrrrruuurrggghhh…" Greymon snarled, as his eyes glowed red, "I will protect you… no matter what…"

Uh, yeah, I'm not so sure of that right now.

 _"NOVA FLAME!"_ Greymon roared, and shot a white-hot fireball at Birdramon.

"Everyone, get out of the way-AAARRGGH!" Birdramon screeched in pain as she was struck by the fireball.

"Birdramon!" Sora cried.

As the giant bird crashed to the ground, Greymon charged at her headfirst. She took flight before he could hit, and then he tripped over himself and fell over.

Birdramon appeared to be looking off in the distance somewhere behind us, as if she saw something else coming. I wondered what she was looking at. She then prepared to dive from the sky and into Greymon.

Greymon looked like he was trying to claw at the bird in front of him. Whoever was behind this, they weren't doing a particularly good job of handling him, I thought. Before he could make another move, Birdramon rammed into him at full speed, sending him rolling back. She was already planning her next move before he could get up.

 _"METEOR WING!"_ With a flap of her flaming wings, Birdramon produced fireballs that rained down on Greymon. The resulting explosions sent him falling on his back. He wasn't taking much damage, but Birdramon wasn't trying to kill him.

Given what little we knew of the enemy and whatever method they were using, it felt like it was only a matter of time before one of them was worn down and killed. I was dreading the outcome either way.

Greymon slowly got back up, but then Birdramon caught him. She clutched tightly to his shoulders with her talons, and wasn't going to let him go so easily. Greymon thrashed about but couldn't break free of her grip.

Birdramon called out in our direction, "He's all yours!"

 _"PLASMA BLADE!"_ Before we knew it, a white haired, red and black dragon-like creature, a Growlmon, ran past us and straight towards Greymon. The blade protruding from his arm was charged with electricity, and he swiped at Greymon's chest.

Greymon stopped thrashing. The glow in his eyes vanished. He glowed brightly as he reverted back to his Rookie form. Oh, thank goodness. After all that, he survived. I was overcome with relief.

I turned to see my brother had caught up with his Growlmon. Just in the nick of time.

"What took you so long, Georgie?" I smirked.

"You're welcome," he huffed.

"Is he your brother?" Sora asked.

"Yeah, this is Georgie," I introduced him.

"Yo," he greeted her with a simple wave.

She smiled again, "Now you're reminding me of someone else I know. Makes me nostalgic."

DemiGreymon was quickly filled in on what happened to him, much to his horror. Growlmon, having reverted to Guilmon, managed to find the source of the trouble.

"This was in Greymon's chest," Guilmon handed a small, black object to Gennai. It was obviously broken following his removal of the object, but it was thin and appeared to have a drill-like spiral at the tip. It reminded me of a screw.

"Thank you Guilmon," Gennai nodded as he took the remains of the object, "I'll make sure analysis is carried out on this immediately. Well done."

Maybe I didn't take too much notice at the time, but now that I think about it, I do vaguely remember seeing this thing sticking out of Greymon's chest. Yet I look back on the battle with Airdramon the other day and I don't remember seeing one of these at all.

"It seems these attacks have been concentrated primarily on the British Region," Dave commented, "No incidents have occurred anywhere else lately."

"Indeed. It's likely that they have based their operations here, somewhere. Unfortunately, it may be necessary to lock down this Region until the threat can be contained," Gennai turned to us, "And this is where you come in. Once we have more information, we need you to find them, and put a stop to their actions."

I glanced at my brother. He probably had the same concerns as I did regarding the grim situation we'd suddenly been thrown into.

"Don't tell me we have to do this all by ourselves," I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"Don't worry, Ste-kun," Sora placed her hand on my shoulder, "We'll be here too. We'll be right there by your side, no matter what."

"That's right!" Piyomon chirped, "And I'll be sure to keep my eye on you, too!" She nodded at DemiGreymon.

"Uh... I'm not sure what you mean by that, but thanks, I guess?" DemiGreymon scratched his head.

I noticed that Sora was holding a new Digivice in her other hand. Looks like her classic model got an upgrade to the same one as mine, only it was pink and red in colour. A shame really, I kind of prefer the old one.

"But how will you get here if the British Region's on lockdown?" I asked.

"I'm moving over in the next two weeks."

Such short notice!

"There's also Master Norstein, who is based out of Austria," Dave informed me, "He has a temporary residence in the UK too. He's offered to join your team and provide tactical support."

That's a relief. At least it won't be me leading this bunch with my paranoia.

"There was someone else as well. You may remember Miss Victoria from the other day? I'll try and reach out to her and see if she can help out."

"Oh, you mean the girl with Samanomon?"

"That's right! At least someone here has a good memory!" He glared at Gennai, who apparently didn't notice the remark.

The more the merrier I guess, but I had a feeling that Victoria was going to be a tough nut to crack. She came across as very much the solo player type. Convincing her to join this ragtag bunch of misfits wasn't going to be easy, I thought.

Soon enough, Sora, Piyomon, and Gennai were on their way back to Japan. She waved to me before entering the portal. Hard to think, she was going to be moving here in a couple weeks time.

"I think she likes you, mate," Georgie nudged me with his elbow.

"No. Seriously, it's not like that. At all."

 _"Oh, Steven! I'm here for you, Steven!"_

"Just stop."

"I'm _joking,_ mate!" He laughed it off, "You don't have to be so serious about everything, y'know!"

DemiGreymon and Guilmon exchanged confused glances. Not that I blame them. Maybe it's not a concept that Digimon typically follow.

"So who was that, anyway?" Georgie asked.

"Don't know if you remember, but… you know in the anime, there was a girl named Sora? She had the blue helmet, hat… thing."

"Oh, yeah, I remember her… wait. _Really?!_ "

 **つづく**

 _In Memory of  
Yūko Mizutani  
1964 - 2016_


	6. Episode 05: Puppet Master

**Digimon Re:Link, Episode 05 :** " **Puppet Master"**

As of late, the situation I've been thrown into has been escalating more and more. The danger has become that much more apparent to me since watching Greymon being taken control of by this unknown enemy we've been facing. And that's not even getting to the fact that I'm apparently in possession of a supposedly legendary Digivice, meaning that this enemy is keeping tabs on me and has painted a bullseye on my back. Frankly, the thought that they would have known about this before I did is disturbing.

Maybe that's why they've been targeting the Digital World's British Region. Because _I'm_ here. And without DemiGreymon fighting by my side, I'm all but defenseless. Either that or my anxiety's getting the better of me and I'm thinking too much about everything. Surely, there's more to their motives than just me and a small object that I'm holding?

I've been out of action for a couple of days since that battle at the Interminal, but apparently they - whoever this _other_ "they" are - are getting closer to solving the mystery behind this threat, thanks to something that was left behind after my brother's Growlmon saved the day. A black, screw-like object - currently codenamed a "Dark Drill" - was removed from Greymon's chest, freeing him from their control. The weird thing about this was that I vaguely remember seeing the object during the battle, but not against any other Digimon we've faced.

That got me wondering. Where does it actually go? Did my Greymon's weird evolution glitch prevent that from happening, or were they deliberately leaving behind a clue for us? Either way, it's a step towards uncovering their identity. That's all well and good, but I'd also like to know who the unknown entity I'm working _alongside_ is supposed to be. Why are the good guys being so bloody secretive?

I happened to bring it up in conversation with Thoma - apparently now my teammate - as I was discussing the matter with him over a phone call. I had to ask him, who are you working for? And why won't they tell me anything? Also, where did you get my number...?

 _"That's classified information."_

 _...Seriously?_ I am fully aware of the existence of Digimon, have been to the Digital World numerous times, and was involved in a top secret, real world mission with the aim of preventing a giant walking tangerine from trampling all over a retail complex. On top of that, I've been made _completely_ aware of other past, real world incidents involving Digimon, at least one of which was a large scale assault on Tokyo - freakin' _Tokyo_ , the _largest metropolitan area in the world_ \- that have apparently been 'covered up'. How much more classified can you _get?_

 _"I'm sorry. That's classified information."_

GAWD.

 _"What I can tell you, however, is that we now have a better idea of who our enemy is. It seems that an organisation of hackers is behind the recent incidents."_

So much for that stuff about super enhanced security that's supposed to stop them from getting in. Then again, the act of hacking itself has become increasingly complex in the real world, so this shouldn't have been too much of a surprise. Sure, it's downright scary what they're capable of, but even the most advanced security measures can only last for so long without a hole being found.

" _Origin unknown, location unknown, and yet they are exclusively targeting the British Region. We currently have no way of knowing what their motives are."_

"Well, I found out the other day that my Digivice is apparently key to the fate of the Digital World, whatever that means. I've been under attack basically every time I've been there, and one real world incident happened right near where I live. Would you happen to know anything about that?"

" _... No."_

Not even classified information? Actually, he hesitated before answering that. Hm.

" _But you do propose an interesting theory. If what you say is true, perhaps you are their target. We can't know for certain. What I can tell you, however, is that we have captured an image of someone working for them. Based on the limited information available, they appear to be a key figure from your past."_

"From my past? Care to fill me in?"

" _You'll find out for yourself soon enough."_

In other words, someone out there is out to get me. Either that or I'm being paranoid.

" _There's been some unusual activity towards the southeast coast of the Region, so it's best that we investigate. Make sure you and your brother are ready in one hour."_

"OK, gotcha."

A key figure from my past, huh? Presumably, it was safe to assume that there was a common link to Digimon. The first and only person that came to mind was that old friend who I used to write those terrible fanfics with. But enslaving the inhabitants of the Digital World would be way out of character for him, so I immediately ruled him out.

But if it's not him, who else could it possibly be? Guess I'll find out later.

Before I knew it, my phone was ringing again. A foreign number. +81, I wondered what country that belonged to.

"Hello?"

" _Oh! Hi, Ste-kun! How are you today?"_

I didn't immediately recognise the voice over the phone; but there's only one person in the world who calls me by that nickname.

"…Sora? Is that you?" Your long-distance bill will be enormous! Also, how did _you_ get my number…?

" _Yes, it's me! Sorry, I hope I haven't called at a bad time. I just wanted to check up on you!"_

"Oh okay. Well, I'm doing fine, I guess. Just found out what's going on over there. I was told about some hackers or something."

" _So they were behind the attack the other day?"_

"Yup."

" _I see… That reminds me, how is DemiGreymon? Is he okay?"_

"Oh, well… he's still a bit shaken, after _that_ happened."

At the time, he was just quietly sitting in the Digivice for those couple of days. He wasn't saying much. I wondered if he was too afraid to go back. Not that I'd blame him.

" _I've seen it happen with my friends' partners before… but, they made it through in the end! I'm sure you will too. Stay strong, and look out for each other, okay?"_

"Will do!"

" _Anyway, I'd better get going now. I'm packing my things as we speak."_

"Oh, really? So you're moving over soon then?"

" _Tomorrow."_

…

What.

" _Moshi moshi? Ste-kun? Are you still there?"_

"Oh, sorry… well, uh, let me know if you need a hand with anything when you get here. I'll show you around town, too."

" _No, it's okay, really. Don't force yourself to-"_

"I mean… I somehow feel as if it's my fault you're having to come all the way over here in the first place. It's the least I can do."

" _… Well, okay. I'll let you know."_

"Okay, I'll speak to you soon!"

And then she hung up.

… Huh. Not even a " _Seeya."_ Was it something I said? Or is that another cultural difference?

Well, better not dwell on it too much.

Still… tomorrow? Seems like they've had to rush her schedule because of what's happening on the other side. You'd think that, for all of twelve seconds it takes for her and Piyomon to get here, they would be able to lift that lockdown briefly to let them in, especially if it's _that_ important for them to be here. It just seems unfair to have her go right out of her way for the Digital World's sake. That's an incredibly tall order for one person. Is there really nobody else who could help out instead? I don't know who or what is running that place, but they're raising so many questions that it's not even funny.

I looked into the Digivice screen to see that DemiGreymon had half-eaten a piece of meat. That was unusual for him, though it was easy to tell why.

"You okay, mate?" I asked him.

"… Yeah, I'll be fine."

"Look, I'm sorry about the other day. I promise you, I won't let it happen again."

"No… don't blame yourself. It's my fault. I should have been more careful."

He glared at me, with a look of determination in his eyes, " _I_ won't let it happen again."

A little while later, we'd arrived by the Interminal, where we previously left off. Took a lot of work getting Georgie here, he really wasn't interested in being dragged along today but he caved in in the end.

"Hey there," Thoma was already waiting for us, with Gaomon by his side.

"At least _someone's_ eager," I noted his presence, as it looked like he and his partner had been waiting a while.

"Who's this?" Georgie asked.

Right, I should introduce you guys to each other.

"Georgie, this is Thoma H. Norstein."

"Good morning," the blonde haired boy greeted my sibling.

"Thoma, this is my brother Georgie."

"Alright Tom! How's it goin', mate?" my brother went to shake his hand.

"Please, call me Thoma," he accepted the handshake.

Georgie glanced at me, as if to say " _What's his problem?"_ And I responded with a brief, apologetic shrug.

Thoma then reminded us why we were here today.

"As I informed you earlier, there's apparently been some Hacker activity originating from the southeast coast," he held his Digivice out, as it projected a holographic map of the region. Hm. I wonder if mine can do that?

"So we're just calling them Hackers then?" I asked, mostly curious about the capitalisation.

"Unless you're willing to share any alternative code names we can use."

Well, I had a colourful selection of choice phrases in mind. Mostly consisting of expletives. None of which are particularly appropriate for whoever's reading this.

"Nah, that works. They're doing exactly what it says on the tin, after all."

"Anyway, they appear to have been active in this particular area recently. No one knows what they're doing there as the town has long been deserted, even before they showed up."

"Wait, so… nobody lives there?" My brother asked.

"Precisely."

"Then why would they be hangin' around there?"

"It's possible that they've established a base at this location. However, their activity has been minimal at most. It's an unusual location, considering the fact that they're at the Region's edge. The entire British Region is on lockdown, so they can't simply leave from there."

"Hang on. So they're basically floating around doing nothing?" I asked.

"That appears to be the case."

Thoma noticed as I rolled my eyes and let out a huff.

"Something wrong?"

"It's a trap. And it's me they want."

"And what brought you to that conclusion?"

Oh, I don't know. _Everything I've been through so far._

But again, maybe I'm being paranoid. I can't help it.

"Still, you may be right," Thoma nodded, "Perhaps once you're there, they will act, and we will learn of their intentions."

You mean to tell me I'm the sacrificial lamb?

"Of course not. If we're taking that into account, your safety is a high priority."

And yet, I'm essentially being sent to the front line. How does that work? My brother was noticeably frowning as he shared my sentiment.

"If we are to learn more about the Hackers and what they're up to, then we have no choice but to take the bait. However, in doing so we in turn will lure them out. We'll use the opportunity to collect valuable data, and strike if necessary."

Somehow I don't see that ending well considering two of us here haven't been in this game for very long, buuut he seems to know what he's talking about so it's probably best to follow his game plan.

With a click of his fingers, Thoma lit his hand up in a blue flame of Digisoul, "We don't have much time, so we'll travel by the fastest means we have available." He touched the top of his Digivice, and his dog-like partner Digimon was encapsulated by a glowing, egg-shaped sphere of light.

As the evolution sequence was being triggered, Georgie decided to have a quick word with me;

"Don't let 'im push you around," he whispered, through gritted teeth.

"I know, I know," I replied.

" _Gaomon, shinka! GAOGAMON!"_ Standing in place of Gaomon was… well, a bigger version of Gaomon. Only he was now on all fours. He still had the boxing gloves but his claws had torn through them. Gone was the headband, instead he appeared to be wearing some kind of hardened, red scarf thing with claws at the ends. Always good to have an extra set of hands, I guess.

The three of us climbed aboard the blue dog-like Digimon, who was stoic and yet raring to go.

"Steven, I'd advise you to hold onto your hat," Thoma instructed.

Hm, I guess he _does_ have a sense of humour.

"Gaogamon, let's go."

"Yes, master!"

Within seconds, Gaogamon was dashing at full pelt as he carried us on his back. He was going crazy fast. My Dad doesn't even go this mad when driving in a hurry!

We were more or less following the nearby river as that led to our target location on the coast. But I don't recall much of the scenery as it all went past us like a blur. Or maybe I didn't pay much attention to it as it was already similar enough to what I knew at home.

What I did notice up ahead at one point was a group of Digimon trying to calm down a Tyrannomon, a big, red T-Rex - hence the name - with green spines running along his back. He had that familiar red glow in his eyes as his presumed friends surrounding him were trying, without much luck, to make peace with him. As I glanced up at the sky I noticed the also-familiar floating rectangles, in which peoples' faces could be seen. One in particular was looking utterly hopeless as his Digimon had been taken by a Dark Drill.

"Shouldn't we help them?" I asked.

"No, ignore them. We must proceed to our objective," Thoma replied, "For all we know this could be a ploy by the Hackers with the intention of slowing us down. If these game players know how to resolve the situation, I'm sure they'll-"

"Sod that!" Georgie held out his Digivice, as Guilmon materialised from it, ready to attack.

" _Pyro Sphere!"_ The little dragon's voice echoed as he shot a fireball at Tyrannomon's chest. The other Digimon surrounding him stepped aside, avoiding the attack and clearing a path for Guilmon. The possessed Tyrannomon was slow to react as Guilmon quickly pounced at the larger dinosaur, swiping at his chest and destroying the Dark Drill. The other Digimon watched in astonishment as the T-Rex collapsed, freed from his spell in the blink of an eye.

"Nice one, mate!" Georgie congratulated his partner as he quickly recalled him to his Digivice.

"Phew… that was close, he almost didn't make it!" Guilmon sighed in relief.

"Hm," Thoma had no comment.

Wait… _almost didn't make it?_ What did he mean by that?

Also, what was the deal with those gamers back there? What were they even doing there? Has there been any information shared about the Dark Drills at all? Surely they would have locked the players out too, at least for the safety of their Digimon? Or at least a lengthy period of 'maintenance' until we're done with this mess? _Anything?_

"If you're wondering about _them_ ," Thoma apparently read my mind, noticing as I glanced back at the Digimon we'd sped past, "there was a warning issued to the game users. This Region is on lockdown, so they shouldn't have even been able to gain access. Also, the Digital World is currently inaccessible to players in Great Britain. It's likely that they were able to access the 'game' or this Region via a loophole, like a proxy server. Either that or the players remained logged in to ensure that they can continue playing."

The security here is _terrible._

"I completely agree. But given the sudden nature of these events, it cannot be helped."

Still, I wonder what would have happened had we left them alone. Guilmon's words were on loop in my head. What did he mean? What price would Tyrannomon and his tamer have paid, had we not intervened?

…Also, why haven't _they_ been invited along for our mission? A few extra tamers and Digimon would have gone a long way. But _no_.

I looked into my Digivice screen to check up on DemiGreymon. I got the impression that he got the gist of what we just saw, assuming he didn't somehow see it himself. We made eye contact, and he glared at me again with that same look of determination in his eyes. He gave me a nod. He was ready, for anything and everything. I think.

A little while later, we'd finally arrived at our destination. It was pretty much how Thoma described it to us earlier: a dilapidated ghost town on the coast. The beach was even littered with wreckages of small boats. Since most seafaring Digimon tend to swim, I wondered what the boats were doing there to begin with. Either way, it was an eerie sight. Not helping was the bright red glow of some kind of force field going all around the coast, illuminating the area.

"We're here, but there's no sign of their presence," Thoma noted, looking at the radar on his Digivice.

"You sure we got the right place?" I looked at the radar on mine, "I mean, it looks like a dump, but…"

"What's all that red?" Georgie asked.

"That's a Firewall," Thoma explained, "An impenetrable barrier that's been activated all around the edge of the British Region, locking anything and everything in and out."

I looked out to the sea, watching as the waves crashed into the outside of the barrier, which glowed brightly as each wave hit. The water on the inside was static. It was a bit surreal, but at this rate nothing here was going to surprise me anymore.

Well, so I thought.

"I'm detecting something ahead," Thoma was looking at a purple blip that appeared on his radar, "That's likely them, but…"

But what?

By the looks of it, Thoma wasn't sure what to make of the situation. I looked at my own radar and the signal appeared to be coming from the beach, at most about a hundred yards away. But nothing was there.

We watched and waited. An eerie silence filled the area as we were all on edge, keeping our eyes peeled.

And then before we knew it, a portal appeared. Out of it stepped a young man, wearing some kind of goofy looking trench coat. He also donned a ridiculous pair of gold-trimmed sunglasses. It was almost like he was attempting to cosplay the Digimon Emperor. Maybe he'd have nailed the look had it not been for his frizzy ginger hair -

…Wait.

Oh dear God, no. I recognised this person. And I really wished I hadn't. Why did it have to be him, of _all_ people? I thought I was done with this guy forever. And yet here he was, back to haunt me yet again. Georgie watched in surprise as I began trembling in anger, a side of me he's rarely seen. I felt a sudden rush of adrenaline as the very sight of this person almost instantly filled me with anger and dread. I tried to calm myself down as an outburst here would achieve nothing. Meanwhile, Thoma was glued to his Digivice screen, as he noticed something completely different that caught him off guard.

DemiGreymon materialised out of the Digivice, standing in front of me to protect me from the scumbag who stood before us.

"Steven," DemiGreymon snarled, furiously, "I know him."

The young man stared at us, with a smug grin on his ugly mug. The portal behind him opened wider as a larger figure appeared from other side. Out of it stepped a Monzaemon: a giant, yellow teddy bear with red eyes, a zipper on its back, and a pair of plasters forming an X shape on its white belly. Some kind of dark energy was locking its arms like a pair of handcuffs. No resistance. No attempt to break free whatsoever. It was almost like this Digimon had its soul sucked out. I mean, it was kind of a creepy and lifeless looking Digimon to begin with, but it had noticeably given up on living altogether.

If my history with this person was anything to go by, there was a very specific reason he picked a Monzaemon, of all things. But I'll fill you in on that when this fight's over and done with.

Oh, and for the record: this person was definitely _not_ that old friend of mine.

The guy continued to smirk as he opened the palm of his hand, revealing a black, needle-like object. The thing we were calling a Dark Drill. The only reason we saw the tiny object from that distance is because it was glowing in a red aura, as it slowly hovered into the air from his hand, now aiming at the Monzaemon standing behind him.

Guilmon materialised out of Georgie's Digivice. He was now in a fighting stance, irises narrowed, snarling, ready to pounce at a moment's notice. Just like the other day against Airdramon.

"D-Did we get any info on how that thing works?" I asked Thoma.

"Like other tools in the past, it's used to take control of the Digimon... that much is obvious," Thoma watched the scene, noticeably angered at the sight, "but you may have noticed that the Dark Drill specifically targets the chest area."

DemiGreymon cringed as he was reminded of what happened before. I glanced at Thoma, dreading what he was about to tell me next.

"That's where the DigiCore is located."

The what?

"It contains a Digimon's primary data and their memories. In fact, it's their very life force and their core essence."

"You mean…"

"It's our soul," DemiGreymon finished the sentence, as the glowing Dark Drill shot into Monzaemon's chest in a split second.

As the small object drilled into the torso of the giant teddy bear, it was only now trying to resist its capture. It collapsed to the ground, thrashing about as it struggled to regain control of itself. As this was happening, the boy retreated back into the portal, which then disappeared.

"Gaogamon!" Thoma ordered his partner, "There isn't much time, hurry!"

"Yes, master!" without hesitation, the blue dog-like monster pounced into battle.

"Steven! Georgie! Evolve your partners, now!"

We were already a step ahead as we charged our Digisoul energy, my hand lit up in a red flame and my brother's a golden yellow flame, and then transferred it to our Digivices.

" _Guilmon, Digivolve to… GROWLMON!"_ the red dragon-like Digimon charged towards the bear.

" _DemiGreymon, Digivolve to… GREYMON!"_ the helmeted T-Rex soon followed.

"Gaogamon, Greymon, restrain him! Growlmon, attack the chest!"

Monzaemon was struggling even before our Digimon pounced on him. He stood back up to try and attack the Dark Drill in his chest by aimlessly throwing his arms about, without any success as they were still handcuffed by the energy barrier in front of him. Greymon and Gaogamon pinned the bear down as Growlmon charged the blades on his arms, attempting several swipes at the chest area, each one bouncing off the energy barrier locking Monzaemon's arms in place.

"Can't… break… through!" Growlmon snarled as he continued to attack, none of his attempts any more successful than the last.

"…What? No…" Thoma watched his Digivice screen, "This… this can't be…!"

Our Digimon continued their efforts as Monzaemon let out a final roar. One last burst of strength broke his arms free from the handcuffs.

"Alright!" Growlmon saw the opportunity, " _PLASMA BLA-"_

"Everyone, fall back! Now!"

"What the-?!" Growlmon noticed a sudden change in Monzaemon. It's eyes now had that all-too-familiar, faint red glow in them. Along with Greymon and Gaogamon, the dragon did as instructed and retreated, back to where we were standing.

"What're you thinking of, mate?!" Georgie gave Thoma an earful, "We had a _perfect_ chance to-"

"Monzaemon is dead."

"…What? Dead?" I asked, confused, "What do you mean he's dead? He's still standing right there!"

Thoma gave me an uncharacteristic look of dread, "His DigiCore has been deleted. _Permanently._ "

Our Digimon glanced at Thoma, horrified by the news. Even Gaogamon, who was normally as stoic as they come, was taken aback.

"…Wait, w-what does that mean?" I asked, nervously.

"Normally when a Digimon dies, its Core is able to return to a safe zone where it can be reborn again. However, the Dark Drill has destroyed and effectively replaced Monzaemon's DigiCore altogether," he clenched his fist, "It's ingenious… and yet, inhumane."

"Bloody hell," Georgie took the words straight out of my mouth.

I thought back to that battle with Airdramon the other day. I was reminded of that dead, soulless look in its eyes. As I connected the dots, it was no wonder we were seeing exactly the same thing with Monzaemon. To think the same thing could've happened with that Tyrannomon we saw earlier. Or even my own partner Greymon the other day.

"Your orders, master?" Gaogamon urged his tamer, as the giant monster teddy bear slowly approached.

"I'm afraid we have no choice but to destroy it. Be wary of the fact that this is still an Ultimate level Digimon we're up against. We'll need to hit hard and heavy with brute force attacks-"

"Got it!" Growlmon snarled, charging straight back at Monzaemon at full pelt.

"No, wait! Growlmon! Fall back!" Thoma called out, "You're at a huge disadvantage by yourself!"

" _PYRO BLASTER!_ " Growlmon spewed out a red hot flame, which basically did nothing to the teddy bear. Its paw glowed brightly, before swinging and smashing into Growlmon at full force, sending him tumbling way back to where we were.

"You idiot!" Georgie ran to his partner's aid as Growlmon reverted back to Guilmon. Welp, there goes our anti-virus specialist.

"Uuugghh… my bad," Guilmon apologised before fainting.

"Damn it. Our options now are limited," Thoma turned to me, "I have another attack plan in mind, but if this fails, then I will evolve Gaogamon further to match Monzaemon's power level."

Wait, you can do that? And more importantly, why haven't you done it already?

"The evolution process is much more straining than you'd think… trust me, you'll find out for yourself soon enough. But that's not important right now."

Yes it bloody well is!

"For now our Digimon will combine their attack power and hit Monzaemon with everything they've got."

"Just like that one time, master?" Gaogamon asked.

"Exactly."

"Uh, okay," I turned to Greymon, "I don't know what exactly he's planning, but get ready for it."

"Way ahead of you!" Greymon was already cooking up a flame in his mouth.

" _SPIRAL BLOW!"_ Gaogamon blew a powerful tornado from his mouth.

"Greymon, shoot your flame into that!" Thoma instructed him.

" _NOVA FLAME!"_ Greymon shot out a stream of fire, which merged with Gaogamon's attack to form this huge, flaming tornado. Monzaemon shielded itself with its arms before being struck by the raging whirlwind of fire, which exploded on impact as the bear disappeared into a cloud of smoke.

It looked like a clear victory for us, but I couldn't help but be pessimistic in this scenario. All too often I've seen the trope in anime where the enemy vanishes in a huge cloud of smoke after being shot at by a missile or something, and then the smoke clears and there's barely a scratch on them-

…Aaaand that's basically what happened here. Monzaemon's arms glowed as he swung them both to clear the smoke away. Looks like our attack damaged him to an extent, but…

"Still not good enough… but we've got to keep trying." Thoma began charging his Digisoul again, this time engulfing his whole body in a blue flame. Gaogamon snarled as he was prepared to up his game.

I turned to Greymon, "Gaogamon's gonna be a sitting duck. Keep the teddy distracted!"

"You got it!" Greymon charged ahead to protect our ally, shooting fireballs at Monzaemon, who still appeared to be unphased by the blasts.

Thoma watched carefully, as he aimed his Digivice at Gaogamon. Out shot a powerful beam of light, engulfing the dog in a bigger, egg-shaped sphere of energy.

As Greymon ran in for melee attack, he… well, pretty much repeated Growlmon's mistake earlier. He was brushed aside as Monzaemon prepared its next attack, generating and then shooting a giant blue heart shaped projectile in Gaogamon's direction. Hang on wait, no! You can't do that, you cheating bastard!

" _Gaogamon, chou shin-kAAARRRRGGHHH!"_ We learned that hard way that Digivolution wasn't a free action as the heart thing penetrated the sphere, exploding from within. Gaogamon fell to the ground, and had instead reverted to his prior form.

"No…" Thoma watched in frustration.

Greymon was on his own now, and we were all out of options. Well, I suppose I could try and make him evolve further. But I wouldn't know how to do that. Maybe Thoma's right. Maybe it is too much of a strain to suddenly pull off all by myself. Of course he'd know, as he's clearly been in this game much longer than I have.

No. I can't accept this. I have to try. I can't let that guy who haunted me so much in the past beat me this time. I charge the Digisoul in my hand, creating the same old red flame. But it's not nearly powerful enough, nothing like what engulfed Thoma only a moment ago.

I've got to keep trying. And yet, no matter how hard I try I just… can't. It's like something's holding me back, restraining me like a metaphorical ball and chain. I couldn't even take advantage of my adrenaline rush to make more Digisoul appear. What am I doing wrong? I watched helplessly as Greymon backed away from the bear that was slowly approaching him. Luckily he still had some fight left in him after he was effortlessly smacked aside a moment ago.

Next bit took me by surprise; the giant bear leapt up way high in the air. Was he now going to finish Greymon off from above? We just couldn't compare to that kind of speed and power.

I kept trying, and trying, and trying to charge my Digisoul more. I could see the flame slowly increasing in size as it made its way up my arm. Maybe this'll be the miracle that will end this fight in our favour.

But it wasn't.

" _YOKAI SLASH!"_ A black blur shot past Monzaemon in midair, faster than you could blink. And seconds later the bear split in half, dissolving into data particles that scattered across the sky and disappeared.

Just like that, the battle was over.

The blur landed nearby, revealing a vaguely familiar looking Digimon. Standing next to it was a familiar face, that of a certain someone who also saved my bacon only the other day. It was none other than the gothic lolita fashion aficionado, Victoria.

I had no words as I let out a gasp of relief and the flame of Digisoul on my arm fizzled out.

"You're welcome," she huffed. Her partner Digimon glanced at her, almost like he was silently disapproving of her attitude.

The Digimon standing next to her was the evolved form of her drawing-come-to-life Samanomon. This new form looked like a taller version of his prior self, now clad in black samurai armour. On his helmet was an icy blue Kanji symbol forming the crest, which extended to the mouth plate below the visor. His horns also protruded from either side of the helmet. I would only later learn that the Digimon's name was Samumon.

I'm not sure how an ice-spewing sea creature would evolve into a samurai, but I have to admit it was kinda cool. No pun intended.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Victoria," Thoma approached her, offering a handshake and introducing himself.

"Ah, Mr. Norstein. I've heard about you. It's a pleasure to meet you, too."

What the heck? Are they in cahoots with each other?

"And these are my teammates, Steven and Georgie. I believe you and Steven have already met?"

"We are acquainted, yes."

I glanced at my brother; so far, I could tell that he already disliked her more than he did Thoma.

"As you are no doubt aware, the situation with the Hackers has gotten increasingly dire. Not only do they possess the ability to take control of Digimon, but it turns out they are able to destroy its DigiCore, effectively killing it and turning its body into a remote weapon."

"That… that's awful…"

"What's more, I learned some new information thanks to that portal's appearance as well," Thoma turned to me, "And I can confirm that they're not based in the British Region at all. In spite of the increased security measures in place, they are accessing the region from another, unknown location."

In other words, locking them _in_ did absolutely nothing!

"Unfortunately, that's exactly the case. And yet their reasons for specifically targeting this region remain unclear. Then again, as we saw earlier; someone from your past is working for them. Could you tell us what you remember about this person?"

Right, I should probably fill you in on that now, too.

You may recall me bringing up a school bully that I beat in a V-Pet battle at school. I mentioned him briefly back in Episode 1. I was a bit of an easy target for bullies back then but this guy was... _particularly_ bad. Especially, and notoriously, when the Digimon V-Pet craze hit my school - almost like something had possessed him. One by one he would battle other kids with his V-Pet, beat them, and then break the poor kids' pets under his foot. Even after the school officially banned them, his antics would continue. That is, until he finally challenged me. Luckily my MetalGreymon was able to defeat his Monzaemon, and after that I recall he was suspended from school for more than a week.

Yeah, basically his reason for attacking us with a Monzaemon today was as petty as that. It was as if he just _had_ to beat me with that particular Digimon. I had a feeling this was going to be a recurring theme.

"For what it's worth, we already have most of that information on file, but I appreciate hearing your perspective of it," said Thoma, "We're still not entirely clear on the details regarding the battle back then… but more importantly, how do you feel after getting that off your chest?"

Come to think of it, I'd never really talked to anyone about it until then. Not even my brother. But he was very young at the time so he wouldn't have remembered anyway.

"Better," I nodded. Note to self: actually tell people about these things, don't just bottle your frustrations up for years.

I have to admit, while I don't know him very well my opinion of Thoma has improved since I first met him the other day. Sure, he comes off as a bit of an elitist, but at least he's willing to show compassion for those around him… even for that Monzaemon we just defeated. I get the impression he's been through a lot.

"Glad to see you're all gathered here!" Dave appeared out of nowhere to greet us, "Just in time for the bad news I'm about to deliver."

"Do tell," Thoma frowned, preparing for the worst.

"Word is the Hackers have already planned their next attack. Their target location is the Greymon Valley."

"Oh no…" DemiGreymon was noticeably horrified.

"The Greymon Valley?" I asked.

"It's an area that's home to many dinosaur type Digimon, but as the name suggests it's highly populated by Greymon-species," Dave explained.

Thoma added, "It's a volcanic region to the west. Due to its current location it essentially correlates with London in the Real World."

I have to admit, this place sounded kinda awesome. Though, last time I checked there weren't any active volcanoes in Britain, let alone London.

"Its location is never set in stone, in fact it's notorious for shuffling around to the most random spots every time the Digital World undergoes a reformatting!" Dave laughed.

Maybe it's just me, but it hardly seemed like a coincidence that this Greymon Valley would just so happen to take the place of London when me and my Greymon-species partner Digimon happen to get involved with the current events of the Digital World.

"Anyway, the higher-ups have informed me that you guys need to go there tomorrow, in order to defend it from the inevitable Hacker attack. They're expecting Takenouchi-san and Piyomon to join you as well."

"Wait, tomorrow?" I asked, "But… Sora told me that she's flying over from Japan tomorrow."

"…She's what?" Even Dave was confused.

"From Japan?" Victoria's interest was piqued.

"Tomorrow?!" Thoma shook his head, "Those damned bureaucrats… what on Earth are they thinking? That's absurd!"

I'm glad we agree on that one.

"Thank you for notifying me of this issue, Steven. I shall see to it that Takenouchi-san's travel plans are rearranged."

Arguably, it'd be better for her if they were thrown out altogether, but… nothing I could do about that. Oh well.

A little while later we'd parted ways, after arranging to meet up again by the Interminal first thing in the morning. I'm gonna be dreading this all night long, now.

As I returned from the Digital World, I only had one objective in mind and that was to call Sora. This was gonna cost me, I thought, but given the sudden change in the situation I felt that I needed to fill her in. More importantly, I had some questions to ask. Usually I'm hesitant when it comes to the phone, but this was a special case, I guess.

I pulled up her number on my phone, dialed it, and the phone began ringing. After a moment I got a response.

" _Hai, Takenouchi desu."_

"Uh… Sora? Is that you?"

" _Oh, Ste-kun! I'm so sorry, I wasn't expecting you to call!"_

Neither was I, but there we go.

" _So, what did you want to talk about?"_

"Well, good news. I know a guy who's having a word with his higher-ups. He's convincing them to let you stay in Japan a bit longer."

" _It's okay, I know. They cancelled my flight and it's been moved to a later date."_

"Wait, you knew already?"

" _Yes, I got an email from them a moment ago. They told me everything."_

"You mean the same things about the lockdown being lifted to let you and Piyomon into the British Region that I was just about to tell you?"

" _That's right."_

"Wow, they didn't hang about."

" _I had all my things packed too… but, honestly, I'm relieved. Everything happened so fast and I wasn't sure if I was ready for it yet."_

"Yeah, I won't lie. I thought it was insane to make you move here so soon. Frankly I'm not sure why they're having you come all the way over here in the first place. It's just…" so goddamn stupid that I had no words beyond an exasperated grunt.

Sora was silent for a moment. That was weird.

" _I see_ … _I'm sorry to make you worry."_

Stop apologising already!

"Actually, I wanted to ask you about that. How do you feel about this whole moving to England thing? Is this what you want? Are you really OK with it?" More importantly, I wanted to know if she even had a say in the matter.

Silence again. Was she hiding something? Or did she just need time to think of a suitable answer?

" _Well_ _… putting everything aside, I think it would be a wonderful opportunity. Mimi-chan moved to America with her family, and she had all kinds of stories to tell. I've always wanted to experience another culture like that."_

"By any chance, was it New York she moved to?"

" _That's right. How did you know?"_

"Just a hunch, based on the anime."

" _Oh, of course! I should have known!"_ She laughed.

I had a hard time laughing with her on that remark. I wondered just how much personal information had practically been given away through an otherwise harmless TV show. Yeesh.

" _But I'll admit, I've never heard of Chelmsford before. What's it like there?"_

"It's no New York, let's put it that way. You could walk from one side of town to the other in less than an hour."

" _I see! Odaiba's like that, too."_

I owe that place a visit one of these days. Ideally when none of this crap is going on anymore.

"Anyway, I'll leave you alone now. We're heading to the Greymon Valley first thing tomorrow, so rest well, Sora!"

" _Sora-senpai."_

"…Huh?"

" _From now on, you will address me as Senpai!"_ she giggled, playfully.

"…Oh! I think I've heard that phrase before. That's like for someone who's a year above you at school or something, isn't it?"

" _That's right! But in this case, I'm your predecessor as a Chosen Child of the Digital World. Also, I'm a year older than you!"_

Chosen Children. Is that what we're officially referred to as?

…Wait a minute, when did you learn my birthday?

"So essentially, this can apply pretty much anywhere, right?"

" _You're a fast learner! Age doesn't always matter though; if a younger person has joined before someone who's older, then they'll be the Senpai instead."_

"Hang on, so… when you join me at University, you'll be in your first year, and I'll already be a year ahead. Technically, wouldn't that make me _your_ Senpai?"

" _…"_

"…How about we drop the Senpai thing and forget this conversation happened?"

" _Okay."_

Whew, dodged a bullet there.

" _Well, I'd better go get some sleep now. I'll see you tomorrow, Ste-kun!"_

"Sure! Sleep well-"

And then she hung up. I was again left wondering if that was a cultural difference, but… oh, whatever.

From that point I pretty much spent the rest of the day dreading what would come tomorrow. Today's battle was tough enough, but now the stakes were raised even higher. What if a stronger foe than Monzaemon appears? Will DemiGreymon be strong enough to defeat it? More importantly… will I be strong enough?

Guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

 **つづく**


	7. Episode 06: Fighting Spirit

**Digimon Re:Link, Episode 06 :** " **Fighting Spirit"**

The big day had finally come.

Well, I say that but we only found out yesterday that this was even going to be a "big" day at all. After learning of the Hacker group that's been behind recent events, we then found out about their plans for an attack on an area known as the Greymon Valley, which apparently just so happens to be the Digital World's version of London. I'm fully aware that this doesn't make a lick of sense, but… look, let's just go with it.

This location is said to be home to a lot of dinosaur type Digimon, most notably Greymon as it says on the tin. Just what exactly are the Hackers planning? A large scale assault to wipe them all out, or do they intend to take control of its inhabitants with Dark Drills? I already witnessed this first hand with my own partner Greymon. I couldn't imagine having to fight a whole _army_ of them.

On top of that, they've already demonstrated their ability to take control of Ultimate level Digimon with that device of theirs. That fight against Monzaemon yesterday was tough, in fact we would have lost if not for Victoria and Samumon showing up at the last minute to take him out. One of those was hard enough, but what if there are Ultimates at the Greymon Valley that get possessed? They'd be unstoppable. And I'm fairly certain we wouldn't be anywhere near strong enough to fight them.

Needless to say, this is going to be really, really fun.

The four of us - myself, Georgie, Victoria, and Thoma, were all waiting for Sora and Piyomon by the Interminal. For the first time, the full team would be assembled for our first mission together. The prospect would have been more exciting if not for me dreading the main event itself.

We didn't have to wait very long before that familiar electronic sound effect came from within the Interminal as the portal formed, out of which Sora and Piyomon appeared once more. Sora was notably less nervous than the first time she came here. Today, she was calm and ready.

"Hey, Sora!" I waved.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting," she apologised, despite arriving in good time.

Anyways, time for introductions.

"So, this is my brother Georgie, who you've already met," I introduced him to her.

"Yo," Georgie greeted her with a simple wave.

"Good morning, Georgie-kun," she smiled.

My brother glanced at me, unsure of what she just called him.

"And this is Victoria," I introduced her to Sora.

"Ohayō gozaimasu," Victoria bowed, "Yoroshiku."

"Aa! Ohayō, Victoria-chan! Kochira koso!"

They had a brief conversation entirely in Japanese. Victoria didn't seem quite as fluent, but what she managed was pretty impressive. Still, with this being the Digital World I was half expecting a convenient subtitle track to appear. Oh well.

"And I'm Thoma H. Norstein," he introduced himself, "It's an honour to make your acquaintance, Takenouchi-senpai."

What a mouthful.

"Oh, Thoma-san! I've heard about you," Sora greeted him, "It's a pleasure to meet you, too."

Our respective Digimon partners - DemiGreymon, Guilmon, Samanomon, and Gaomon - left their Digivices to greet Piyomon. I guess it was important for them all to catch up and get to know each other, since they were about to fight their first big battle together. Gaomon was a little standoffish though, not sure what that was about.

But, yeah, with introductions out of the way and while our Digimon were conversing, Thoma began to fill us in on the plan for today.

…With a certain someone's help.

"Excellent, you're all here!" Dave appeared out of nowhere to join in on the briefing, "Now, let's begin."

"As you all know, we learned yesterday that the Hackers are planning to attack the Greymon Valley. But after much research, we've come to a conclusion on what their real objective may be," Thoma projected from his Digivice a holographic image of some sort of artifact. It appeared to be an effigy of a draconic creature, with a pair of fiery wings on its back and adorned with red armour.

"Wait a minute," DemiGreymon observed the hologram, "Is… is that what I think it is?"

"I believe you lived at the Greymon Valley in a past life?" Dave asked, knowingly.

"My memory's hazy, but… I don't remember _this_ being there."

"Can you tell us what you do remember?" Thoma asked.

"Well… I definitely remember our leader, VictoryGreymon. I really looked up to him. Until one day, when he left us to join the Royal Knights with another Digimon."

"Yggdrasill's Royal Knights?" Victoria asked.

"Correct," Thoma nodded.

"Yggdrasill…" Guilmon pondered.

Wait, what's Yggdrasill?

Dave explained, "Yggdrasill was one of the Digital World's former host computers. You could say it was also a God of the Digital World. And the Royal Knights were a powerful group of Digimon that lived to serve it."

"However," Thoma added, "Yggdrasill went berserk, and was set to destroy both the real and Digital Worlds. The Knights rebelled against their former master, and it was ultimately destroyed in the battle that ensued. The Digital World you see today is the result of the last major reformatting and server change, following Yggdrasill's defeat."

So what happened to the Royal Knights after that? I mean, they sound like a really strong bunch and it'd certainly be useful to have them around-

"They disbanded."

Ah.

"Some of them were killed in battle, and as for those who survived… well, that remains a mystery."

"Which brings us to this artifact," Dave pointed at the hologram of the draconic effigy, "You recognise this well, don't you DemiGreymon?"

"Of course I do!" he replied, "There's not a Greymon anywhere who wouldn't. That's the Legendary Beast Spirit of Fire!"

"Correct! This is just one of the Legendary Spirits that were once wielded by Chosen Children like yourselves."

"The partnerless," Victoria nodded, "I've heard of them."

"If you look at it another way," Sora smiled, "The Spirits were their partners."

"Oh, good point."

Dave continued, "The Spirits were once lost and scattered across the Digital World before being discovered by this group of Chosen. When peace was restored, the Spirits were scattered once more, hidden in safe zones to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands."

"So… what do these Spirit things actually do?" Georgie asked.

"With the Legendary Spirits, the children gained the ability to transform into Digimon that possessed the power of the ancient Warrior Ten."

"Oh, cool! So if we find these, we could use them to fight with our Digimon!"

"No," Thoma shook his head, "Only those chosen few were able to utilise their power. They were equipped with a type of Digivice specifically designed for Spirit compatibility. A Digimon can instantly evolve if coming into contact with one, but the results of a human doing so without the proper equipment would be catastrophic. Especially if it's a Beast Spirit, which are notoriously difficult to control even for Digimon."

…Hang on, so where does this VictoryGreymon fit into any of this?

"Since he departed, the Greymon Valley has become a very different place," Dave explained, "Needless to say, the social structure has also evolved into something else entirely. And that's where this Beast Spirit comes in."

OK, so…

"You'll see for yourself when you get there," Dave grinned, "I think it's time you experienced civilisation in the Digital World with your own eyes!"

Fair enough.

"We've no time to waste," Thoma produced a blue flame of Digisoul in his hand, "We must act quickly if we are to prevent any activity from the Hackers."

Gaomon stepped forward, prepared to carry out his obligatory duty of carrying us there. The light from Thoma's Digivice glowed brightly as he charged it with his Digisoul, and Gaomon was surrounded by an egg-shaped sphere of light.

" _Gaomon, shinka! GAOGAMON!"_ The giant blue dog knelt down, allowing us to climb aboard.

…Except, there was only enough space for three of us.

"We'll help out too!" Sora created a reddish-pink flame of Digisoul in her hand and charged her Digivice, triggering the evolution of her partner.

" _Piyomon, shinka! BIRDRAMON!"_ The fiery bird stood, awaiting her passengers.

"OK," Thoma nodded, "Now we need to decide who's travelling with who-"

"I'll take Ste-kun with me!" Sora raised her arm enthusiastically.

…W-Wait, what?

Notably, Victoria was now glaring at me.

"… Very well," Thoma cleared his throat, "In which case, Georgie and Victoria shall join me and Gaogamon."

In other words, I'm gonna be flying there! I'm so not ready for this. Though, how much worse can it be than travelling astride a giant dog that can run at insanely high speeds?

Well, anyway, we soon began boarding. I was preoccupied with wondering how the heck I was going to ride Birdramon, when…

"Just a quick word of advice," Victoria whispered to me, "don't get too close to her."

…What the heck was that about? What's that supposed to mean? Would you prefer to be the passenger of this giant bird in my place? Go nuts! I'll happily trade places. But… no? Fine, whatever.

I followed Sora's lead, sitting awkwardly on Birdramon's foot and preparing to cling to her leg for dear life.

"You know, your partner might evolve into a Digimon that flies soon," Sora gave me a playful wink, "Maybe you should get used to it first!"

Was that your idea all along? That's mean!

"Gaogamon, let's go," Thoma instructed his partner.

"Yes, master!" And with his passengers, he darted off ahead of us.

"Time for us to get going too!" Sora smiled, "Are you ready, Ste-kun?"

 _NO!_

"Let's go, Birdramon!"

The fiery bird screeched, flapping her mighty wings as she began her ascent. My eyes were squeezed shut as Birdramon rose up into the sky and I felt my stomach drop. Eventually this feeling stopped as we reached a presumably steady altitude and…

…Woah.

My fear of doing something new and potentially life-threatening was overcome by sheer awe at the view from way up here. It was incredible. Below us to the left was a river that we were following, this same river being the one I sat near with Sora the other day, near the Interminal we just left. Coming up to the right was the Primary Village that I began my digital adventure at. And near that was the huge lake where we fought Airdramon. It was so weird seeing it all from above.

"See? It's not so bad!"

I had no words. I was pretty much left speechless by the experience.

My nerves calmed, all I could think to do now was relax and enjoy the view. This took away some of the tension from the mission today, but that was sure to come right back the moment our flight was over. How have I suddenly gone from dreading this flight to dreading its end?

Before long, I could hear a beeping sound coming from the Digivice.

"Steven!" DemiGreymon called me from within the device, "Something just... happened!"

"… Just _happened?_ What are you talking about?"

"I dunno! Something was flashing in here, and - _AGH!_ "

He was interrupted by Thoma, whose face was now appearing on screen in place of my Digimon partner.

" _It's simply a routine update to the Digivice iC Kai firmware,"_ he explained, " _Don't pay any mind to it."_

"More importantly," I asked, "How are you doing that…?"

" _It's a newer function that's already built into your Digivice. A video phone should be of great use, don't you agree?"_

"Yeah, that makes sense actually. Mobile phones are completely useless in the Digital World, so this is a great alternative."

" _Anyway, we'll be arriving at our destination soon enough. You should see it up ahead."_

Yeah, I saw it alright. There was a volcano visible in the distance. But it wasn't any old volcano. It was like a giant rock formation that happened to conveniently and vaguely form the shape of a Greymon helmet.

"That sure is a giant Greymon head," I muttered to myself, before turning to Sora. She was notably tense as she looked ahead to the Greymon Valley. This was quite the shift in mood from only a moment ago. I wonder what's bothering her?

It wasn't too long before we finally got there. It was, as described, a volcanic area. And the river that we were following was curving around it, almost like a moat.

Birdramon gently landed near the entrance, letting me and Sora off. She reverted back into Piyomon, before dissolving into tiny particles and returning to her Digivice.

"Thank you, Piyomon. You should rest now."

"Thanks Sora, I will!" the bird began eating some food that appeared on screen.

Thoma, Georgie, and Victoria soon met up with us.

"So… this is it?" Georgie asked, "What do we do now?"

"I think going _in_ would be a capital idea," Victoria replied, with a hint of snark in her voice.

"Well, we need to be careful about it, unless we want to create an uproar," Thoma advised.

As we made our way towards the oversized gateway forming the entrance, it became apparent that there were some guards standing outside. The guards were a pair of small, yellowy orange, dinosaur-like Digimon; Agumon. In spite of DemiGreymon technically being an offshoot, this was my first time seeing Agumon for real. But there was no time for fanboying.

One of the two was armed with an oversized, mechanical looking axe, while the other had apparently settled for a simpler spear made with a stick and a rock. Interestingly, the first Agumon was slightly larger, with rounder proportions and red leather belts around his claws, while the second one was slightly smaller, but more like what I was used to seeing from the media franchise. They were bickering about something and didn't notice us approaching.

"So he was all like, 'I can take you down easy' and stuff!" the first Agumon boasted, "But a quick Spitfire Blast sent him running scared!"

"Isn't that the little guy?" the other Agumon asked, "The one with the tiny little claws?"

"Yeah, I think he was trying to compensate for something."

"Says the Agumon holding a giant axe that he doesn't actually need."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?!"

"Y'know, he only started on you because you were being a bully. Do I need to remind you, yet again, of why you got stuck on guard duty, _yet again?_ "

"Then why did you?"

"To keep you sane!"

"Look, just because I made fun of his height and breathed fire at him does _not_ make me a bully!"

"I'm pretty sure it does…"

"But… but he started it!"

"But you attacked him, so that still makes you a bully."

"It was an accident!"

"No it wasn't."

"I hate you."

"I hope we're not interrupting anything," Victoria coughed.

The first Agumon reacted nervously, and was quick to point his axe in our direction.

"Wh-Who goes there?! Friend, or foe?!" Whoa, easy there mate!

"Seriously dude?" the second one was appalled, "Uh… look, I'm sorry about my colleague here. He's, well… the needlessly aggressive type."

"Hey!"

"… So, can we help you? Do you have some business here today?"

"As a matter of fact we've come to protect this region," said Thoma, "We believe an organisation of Hackers is on their way to-"

"Rubbish!" the first Agumon laughed, "What's a bunch of humans like _you_ gonna do?!"

"Dude, stop it!" the second Agumon snarled at his colleague.

"Hey, I'm just doing my job here! This is how we should control our borders!"

"I'm fairly certain that's _not_ how it works."

The two began bickering again, in a heated discussion that was far too reminiscent of something from real world England for my liking. Even Thoma was having a hard time intervening as they left no room for us to say a word.

"Steven," DemiGreymon said from the Digivice, "let me talk to them."

"Go for it," I held my Digivice out as several hundred light particles flew out, coming together to form DemiGreymon, standing before the two guards.

Their arguing abruptly ended, as they stared in awe at DemiGreymon, who was noticeably bigger than both of them.

"Wait a minute," the second Agumon asked, "is that…?"

"BIG GUY!" the first Agumon dropped his axe on the ground, and greeted DemiGreymon with a glomp, "It's really you! I can't believe it!"

"Uh… yeah, hey guys!" DemiGreymon replied awkwardly.

"Oh my goodness! Long time no see! Welcome home!" the second Agumon offered a handshake. Or is that a clawshake? I dunno.

"And you're talking a lot more now, too!" the first Agumon was surprised, "You hardly ever said a word back in the day!"

"So what happened to you? You look so different now! How are you doing? What brings you here?"

"L-Look, we'll catch up later," DemiGreymon smiled awkwardly, "But like my friend here said, we're here to protect the Valley. The Hackers are coming and they might be after the Beast Spirit… Or worse yet, to wipe everyone out. We need to speak to whoever's in charge right away!"

"Oh, yeah… about that…"

"I guess it's been a long time!" the first Agumon laughed, "Boy, things have really changed since you've been gone."

"And you're just in time for the annual election!" Oh, yay. Digiworld politics.

"Come right this way, we'll show you!" The first Agumon went to push open one of the gates.

It didn't occur to me at the time that these guards were able to instantly recognise DemiGreymon, despite him being a completely different form that's never been seen before, away from the region for what sounds like a very long time, and hatching from his egg little over a week ago. And in turn, he somehow knew them both as well. I wonder how that works. Maybe I should stop thinking about it, or risk giving myself a headache.

Before we stepped in, I noticed Sora eyeing up her Digivice screen. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"What's up?" I asked her.

"I just got the firmware update."

"Just now?"

"Same here," Thoma added, "but let's focus on the task at hand."

The two Agumon then led us into the Greymon Valley. And this genuinely felt like I'd stepped into another world for the first time. It was so far removed from everything else I've seen in the British Region. It was mountainous and rocky, and somewhat subtropical. It looked like an ideal environment for dinosaur Digimon to live it. The Valley was enormous, and that giant Greymon helmet-shaped volcano formed the centrepiece.

Despite the name, the area wasn't entirely populated by Greymon, and it was much more diverse than I expected. The ones inhabiting the region looked slightly different than mine, appearing slightly shorter but having a more upright stance. But I also noticed a handful with a remarkably different appearance, with a white underbelly, and bony white horns on their helmets. I wondered if they were also glitched evolutions like my Digimon partner. Among the various other dinosaur types inhabiting the region I spotted some Tyrannomon, and Monochromon: a monochrome monoclonius.

"So what's the deal with this, uh… Elecmon?" DemiGreymon asked.

"Elec _tion_ ," I corrected him.

"Uh, right. This election… thing."

"Allow _me_ to explain!" a voice boomed from the sky.

We looked up to see a draconic Digimon, clad in red armour and with a pair of fiery wings that weren't too dissimilar to Birdramon. It also wore a Greymon-esque tri-horned white helmet. It looked like a fully grown version of the Beast Spirit which Thoma showed us earlier.

The two Agumon guards cheered and waved at the dragon, as he descended from the skies and landed in front of us.

"Greetings, Chosen Children. And welcome to the Greymon Valley!" the dragon greeted us, "I am Vritramon… the _Burning_ Greymon!"

Vritramon soon began to glow brightly, before reverting into his prior form which was… much _larger_ , for some reason. The Beast Spirit of Fire appeared before the glowing light and the Digimon using it then emerged.

"But actually, I am Triceramon, the current leader of the Greymon Valley!" Now standing before us was a big green dinosaur Digimon which, as his name suggested, resembled a triceratops. He had a light green body with dark green armour plating, and interestingly he was standing on his hind legs. If I'm being perfectly honest, he looked more like a T-Rex that was wearing a triceratops hat.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Triceramon-sama," Thoma gave him a formal greeting.

"Aw, no need for any of that!" the dinosaur laughed, "I'm retiring today, and my successor is being selected as we speak. Come this way!" He shooed the two Agumon guards back to their post, before leading us ahead to wherever this thing was being held.

"It's just as I remember it…" DemiGreymon muttered to himself as he looked around, nostalgically, "Almost like I never left."

"With all due respect," Thoma spoke to Triceramon, "There are urgent matters to attend to. An organisation of Hackers is-"

"Yes, I'm aware," Triceramon nodded grimly, "I've heard the details from Dave. But the election must continue as planned."

Seemed like he was keen on getting it done as soon as possible. Was this election always planned for today, or has it been hastily arranged in anticipation of today's potential threat?

"Behold," he led us to an area in the middle of the Valley. There was a huge crowd of dinosaur Digimon, gathered around and cheering at something. Some of the attendees made way for us to have a look. What we saw wasn't quite what I had in mind as far as elections go, but at the same time, it wasn't too surprising.

Surrounded by this crowd was a pair of Greymon, facing off and preparing to fight. Even these two looked very different compared to most of the Valley's inhabitants; one of them was basically a blue version of a regular Greymon with a dark grey helmet, while the other was a much leaner orange Greymon. It was wearing red leather belts around its claws - just like that Agumon guarding the entrance - but its standout feature was a spikier helmet with a larger front horn and red markings.

"A GeoGreymon," Thoma smirked.

"Every year, we hold a tournament to decide who will be our new leader," Triceramon explained, "And the newly elected champion is granted possession of the Beast Spirit of Fire, entrusted to us by a Chosen Child who once used it to save the Digital World. The Beast Spirit is very powerful, and our leader must be suitably strong in order to master it. Suffice to say a weaker Digimon would not be able to control it - or rather, the Spirit would take control of _them._ "

Essentially, we were about to watch a gladiator match deciding who will be the new boss. Something about this was a very… _Digimon_ way of settling things. It certainly beats having terrible manifestos beaten into our heads. Heck, this would be much more entertaining in real world politics.

"I think the orange one's gonna win," Georgie observed, with confidence, "he looks _well_ strong."

"I agree with that sentiment," Thoma nodded, giving no specific reason.

"I believe they both have an equal chance of winning," Triceramon boasted, "after all, I personally trained these two candidates myself. It's no wonder they both made it to the final round!"

"Pff… _men_ ," Victoria huffed to herself.

Sora shrugged, "At least they're not punching each other."

"LADIES AND GENTLEMON!" Triceramon bellowed, drawing the attention of the crowd, "Let the final round of this year's election… _BEGIN!_ "

The blue Greymon charged straight at his opponent at full speed, while GeoGreymon took a defensive stance. As blue got closer, orange swung his tail around, only for blue to jump right over it and then charge straight back at orange again. They grabbed each other by the claws and were locked in place as they pushed at each other with all their strength.

"Wow, these guys are amazing!" DemiGreymon observed, "I could learn a thing or two from them!"

Going by the crowd's reactions, GeoGreymon was the clear favourite in this fight. As I looked around I happened to spot an Agumon who was rooting really hard for the blue Greymon. Notably, the Agumon was quite short compared to his peers, and appeared to have smaller claws. Is this the one the guards by the entrance were talking about? Anyway, it was easy to see why he was pulling for the underdog.

The crowd pleaser was looking to end the fight quickly; flames could be seen building up in GeoGreymon's mouth and electricity crackled around his helmet as he began to charge up his finishing technique.

Blue Greymon reacted quickly to this, tossing his opponent aside and sending GeoGreymon tumbling. GeoGreymon's attack stopped charging as he took a moment to get up and pull himself together.

"You got me good there, old pal!" GeoGreymon complimented his opponent.

"Likewise," the blue Greymon snarled back.

The two charged straight back at each other, continuing the fight.

"I don't think I can watch this," Sora shook her head.

"Me either," Victoria frowned, "I can't help but think this is a really, really bad time to hold this so-called 'election'."

"Tell me about it," I agreed with her. The Hackers could have appeared at any moment. Why weren't any preparations being made? Why was this event taking priority, despite… well, everything?

I noticed that even Thoma was quite invested in the fight. I guess it makes a change to see Digimon competing for sport instead of fighting to kill each other, but… so much for ' _focusing on the task at hand'_.

The two dinosaurs continued to exchange blows. Neither of them were letting up, but with their fighting styles being completely different it was only a matter of time before one of them changed the momentum of the battle.

This time, it was the blue Greymon who would make the first move, surprising GeoGreymon by jumping way back, and then charging straight at him again. Compared to his opponent, he was faster. He was much more feral and aggressive. After ramming into GeoGreymon at full pelt, he blasted him with a powerful fireball from his mouth. The resulting explosion from his technique created a cloud of dust and smoke, completely concealing GeoGreymon.

The outcome of this fight appeared to be clear, but I learned first hand in that battle against Monzaemon yesterday that you should never assume victory when the enemy has disappeared in clouds of smoke.

Blue Greymon made that very same mistake, and was not prepared for what would happen next.

" _MEGA BURST!"_ Through the smoke, GeoGreymon fired a high powered blast of flame at blue Greymon, creating an explosion that sent his opponent flying way up into the air. Blue Greymon crashed to the ground, utterly defeated.

"BLUE!" The small Agumon I spotted among the crowd earlier ran in to check up on his friend.

Triceramon entered the ring to congratulate the winner.

"GEOGREYMON IS THE CHAMPION!" He roared, as he raised his student's arm in the air. The crowd went wild as they cheered for their newly appointed leader.

"GeoGreymon… like my predecessor before me, I now pass Vritramon's power on to you," Triceramon handed the Beast Spirit to his successor, "May its burning wings guide you to victory."

"Thank you, Triceramon-sensei," GeoGreymon accepted the object from his master. He then held the Spirit up high, watching as it hovered up before whooshing straight off to its presumed safe spot underneath the mountain.

"Blue!" The small Agumon stood by his friend's side, "Are you alright? Can you stand?"

"I-I'm fine…" the blue Greymon grumbled, as he struggled to get up. A pair of Tyrannomon appeared from the crowd to help him up and escort him away.

DemiGreymon ran up to him, "I've gotta say, that was incredible! You fought really well!"

Blue gave DemiGreymon a deep glare, "Spare me the flattery," he growled as the two Tyrannomon helped him away.

"S-Sorry about him!" The little Agumon apologised on his friend's behalf, "He… he really wanted to win this thing, y'know?"

With this election now being over and done with, it was time to talk to Triceramon and get a straight answer from him. I mean, as much as he's no longer the leader, we came here to address a specifically urgent matter that's just being outright ignored, "So, what gives?" I asked. Maybe it wasn't my position to ask as I'm also not my team's leader, but… yeah.

"Ah, young Steven. I believe you hail from the real-world counterpart of this region, is that right?"

"Well, yeah, but-"

"During my time here," Triceramon continued, "I managed to do some research on your capital city, and learned about how they handle things there. Particularly when it comes to certain types of… _urgent_ threats, as you put it. And I took it upon myself to implement those measures and policies after I won the election last year."

"Triceramon-sensei…" GeoGreymon was moved by his master's inspiring words.

"No matter how great the threat to our home, we will not back down. We will not allow terrorists to threaten us and interfere with our way of life. We are not afraid…" he looked towards the entrance of the Greymon Valley, "…because we are _always_ ready."

I looked to where he was looking and… oh. Oh crap.

Standing atop the rocky wall bordering the Valley by the main entrance was a familiar face. That school bully of mine who's now become the apparent face of the Hackers. As we looked off in the distance, I also noticed the two Agumon guards running and screaming, warning everyone of the threat that's just come knocking at their door.

"They're here," Thoma grimaced.

"GeoGreymon, I'll leave this in your hands," Triceramon gave his student a firm nod, "You've spent a long time under my wing… and now it's time to put your skills to the test. From this point forth, my strength is yours to command."

"Thank you, Sensei," GeoGreymon stood side by side with his master as they prepared to face the Hackers together.

"Everyone get ready!" Thoma instructed us, as everyone let their respective partners out of their Digivices, "Gaomon, have you had enough rest?"

"Yes, thank you master," Gaomon threw a couple jabs in front of him, "I'm ready."

"What about you, Piyomon?" Sora asked, "Are you alright?"

"Don't worry about me!" the pink bird chirped, "I'll protect you no matter what!"

"I hope you're ready for this, Guilmon," Georgie warned his partner, "Or we're gonna get p'owned."

"…Wait, what does that mean?" Guilmon asked.

"Don't let me down, Samanomon," Victoria… oh, come on! What kind of line of encouragement is _that?_

"I won't!" the humanoid sea creature smiled firmly.

I looked at DemiGreymon. I gave him a nod. He nodded back.

Everyone's hands lit up in different coloured flames of Digisoul. Victoria's violet, Sora's reddish-pink, Thoma's blue, and Georgie's golden yellow. In spite of me spending every moment up to this point being a nervous wreck, I couldn't help but get fired up at this feeling of comradery. We were all in this together. I felt my hand instantly light itself up in flame red Digisoul.

"OK everyone," I blurted out, "It's morphin' time!"

We transferred our energy to our respective Digivices, watching as egg-shaped spheres of light enveloped our partners as they began to evolve.

" _Guilmon, Digivolve to… GROWLMON!"_ The red dragon snarled, taking a fighting stance.

" _Samanomon, Digivolve to… SAMUMON!"_ The icy samurai-like Digimon stood ready, drawing his sword from its sheath.

" _Gaomon, shinka! GAOGAMON!"_ The blue dog-like creature stood proud, awaiting his master's orders.

" _Piyomon, shinka! BIRDRAMON!"_ The fiery bird flapped her wings, and let out a terrifying screech.

" _DemiGreymon, Digivolve to… GREYMON!"_ And finally, the helmeted T-Rex let out a mighty roar as he was ready to defend his homeland.

The sight of my partner Greymon drew a lot of cheers from the Valley's residents. I heard at least one cry of " _Hey, Big Guy's back!"_ from somewhere. He certainly lived up to the nickname, as he was noticeably larger than most of them. Must have something to do with that glitch. Either way, his very presence got them all fired up. That can only be a good thing, I hope.

As our partner Digimon and almost the entire population of the Greymon Valley stood their ground, ready to fight, the former school bully standing before us gave us a smug grin.

"I'm gonna end you here, _DigiDestined_."

 **つづく**


	8. Episode 07: Flames of Fury

**Digimon Re:Link, Episode 07 :** " **Flames of Fury"**

Something was about to go down.

There we were, face-to-face with our nemesis: a bully from my school days cosplaying as the Digimon Emperor and apparently leading an organisation of Hackers determined to do whatever it is they were planning to do with the Digital World… I dunno, take it over or something I guess.

We had no idea what exactly their plans for the Greymon Valley were, but we and masses of dinosaur Digimon residing in the Valley were all that was standing between them whatever their goal was. Did they want to take control of the Valley, or its populace? Or are they just here for the Beast Spirit of Fire?

I had an odd feeling that he may not have been here for either of those reasons. A menacing grin stretched across his ugly mug as he looked down at us from atop the walls of rock bordering the Greymon Valley.

"I'm gonna end you here, _DigiDestined,_ " he snarled, as he referred to us with a term that we weren't even using ourselves, "Cuz I got you _right_ where I want!"

What does he mean by that? We…!

Of course, I should have known. We preemptively came here to defend the Valley upon their arrival, but this guy showed up almost immediately after we did. We've played right into their hands. Props to the genius who planned this mission, by the way.

Before I had any time to figure out what was going on, he opened the palm of his hand to reveal five small, sharp, and pointy black objects. Each one glowed in different colours, corresponding to our Digisoul: red for mine, blue for Thoma's, yellowy-gold for Georgie's, pinkish-red for Sora's, and violet for Victoria's.

"Dark Drills," Victoria scowled.

"That's what you been callin' 'em? Wicked. I'll stick with that then!"

The Dark Drills hovered up gently in the air, pointed right at our Digimon.

"Uh… T-Thoma?" I asked, nervously.

He didn't respond.

"Well? What are we waitin' for mate?!" Georgie demanded. I could tell he was waiting to lunge at him.

Thoma remained silent, staring down our enemy. Sora was also not saying anything. Our partner Digimon gave each other nervous glances, except Gaogamon for some reason.

The bully pointed forward, as if instructing the Dark Drills to do his bidding. Each of them were squarely aimed at our partners, and soon shot forward at their targets.

"Well? Thoma?! _HELLO?!_ " Georgie was clearly fuming as our leader wasn't acting. Our partners were about to step back in fear, before-

"DON'T MOVE!" Thoma barked.

Wh…what the heck? What's he thinking of? Surely, we should be…?!

Before we knew it, the Dark Drills had come into contact with our Digimon… and then they bounced right off, shattering into small pieces.

The cosplaying Emperor guy was astounded, watching as his plans to take control of our Digimon had suddenly crumbled before him. Our partner Digimon, except Gaogamon, looked at each other in confusion. Growlmon patted his belly, as if wondering if he had overeaten.

We were all equally surprised at what had just happened. Well, except Thoma. And apparently Sora too.

"Everyone," Thoma smirked, "you'll have to forgive me for deceiving you."

Yeah, seriously, explain yourself now.

"You may remember the Digivice firmware update we received earlier; it contained a vaccination program, which was designed to protect our Digimon from the effects of the Dark Drills."

You mean to tell me we only got that as we were on our way here?!

Actually, now that I think about it… Sora was tense earlier. She and Thoma only received the update when we arrived at the Valley.

"You knew about this too?" I asked her.

"Sorry!" Sora clapped her hands in front of her face, as if playfully praying for forgiveness.

Victoria was noticeably glaring at Sora.

"We needed you to believe otherwise," Thoma continued, "or the plan may have backfired."

That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. I nearly got a freakin' heart attack! But hey, it worked, so I guess I shouldn't complain. Or maybe I will later.

"Your acting was on point," Gaogamon complemented Birdramon.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she chuckled.

I noticed Greymon glancing at Gaogamon, as if surprised to hear him say more than two words.

"Hmph," Samumon scoffed, "I could have sliced that thing in half anyway."

Then, the self-proclaimed Emperor smirked, stretching his arms out as hundreds more Dark Drills flew out from inside his trenchcoat. This time, their targets were the residents of the Greymon Valley.

"Oh, crap!" I watched as they rained down on the dinosaurs inhabiting the Valley.

"Oh no. This is the worst," Thoma expressed his 'horror' in the most nonchalant way imaginable, "there's no way I could have possibly anticipated this scenario or prepared a countermeasure whatsoever."

The Emperor watched as the objects fell straight to the ground and shattered into dust. He snarled, generically expressing his disgruntlement as his generic evil plan spectacularly failed before his eyes.

I have no idea how that just happened, nor was it ever explained to me. But more importantly was the fact that his plans were foiled. I think.

The Valley's residents all glanced at each other, more confused than anything. Former Valley leader Triceramon was giving Thoma a very telling grin, like he was in on his secret too. I'm sure I heard one of the Agumon we met earlier yelling " _GET OFF THE STAGE!"_ as his fellow gatekeeper booed at the bad guy.

"It's over," Thoma smirked at my former bully, "You've lost."

What took me by surprise next was the badge he suddenly whipped out of nowhere.

"On behalf of the Digital Accident Tactics Squad, I hereby place you under arrest!"

What the… the _what?_ What have I actually gotten myself involved with? Have I unknowingly been enrolled into the DigiPolice or something? Why doesn't anyone fill me in on _anything?_

Then, a nasty grin stretched across the Emperor's face.

"You're _well_ funny mate," he sneered.

"What part of ' _You're under arrest'_ confused you?"

"You ain't tellin' _me_ what to do, P.C. Plod."

Victoria gave a nod to Samumon, silently instructing him. He then sheathed his katana, before leaping up high to restrain the Emperor where he was standing.

Before he could reach his target, he was struck by a fireball coming from the Emperor's direction.

"Samumon!" Victoria gasped.

"Tch… I'm fine," he landed back on the ground, with little more than burn marks on his armour, "that was nothing."

Stepping out from behind the Emperor was a small, dark red, dinosaur-like Digimon. Oddly, this Digimon didn't appear to be possessed in any way. Some of the Valley's residents expressed their shock at its sudden appearance, as if one of their own had sold them out. While I very much doubt that's what's happened, I couldn't blame them for thinking that. It'd be easy to mistake him for a certain Rookie level dinosaur that populated the Valley as it basically looked like a recoloured version of Agu…

… Wait a minute.

A red Agumon.

Is… is this who I think it is?

As he stood by the Emperor's side, he was giving a nasty glare to Sora. She was understandably baffled, having no idea why this random, recoloured Agumon was shooting daggers at her. Birdramon moved closer to her side. _Don't you dare look at my partner like that,_ she was probably thinking.

If I'm not mistaken, I recognise it for a very specific reason. And for that same specific reason, I also know what his superficial 'connection' to Sora may be.

The red Agumon then turned his glare to me, giving me a… disturbingly _strong_ look of hatred.

"Steven," Greymon whispered as he stood by my side, protecting me, "D'ya know him?"

Thoma glanced my way as Greymon asked that question.

I didn't respond.

But yeah, I know him alright. This red Agumon was only glaring at me and Sora. But why us? Of course I knew the reason for that all too well.

You may remember DemiGreymon's origin as a Digimon I made up for a crappy fanfic I wrote when I was twelve. For better or worse, you may also remember me mentioning that I had written in Sora as a character in that.

Yet again, my twelve-year-old self has come back to bite me in the rear end. This blatant recolour of Agumon? He was _also_ a character in that.

However, he wasn't one of my own.

At this point, there's no doubt about it. It's definitely him, I thought, as I grimaced. My mouth remained zipped shut as I glared back, refusing to say his name.

But in case you're wondering, this isn't a DemiTyrannomon. That's a totally different beast altogether.

"Well then," the Emperor turned to his acquaintance, "See one you like?"

The dark red Agumon continued to glare in our direction, but this time at our partners.

"Oh, not them. We'll mess with 'em later. _If_ they survive today."

The red Agumon nodded, begrudgingly, as he shifted his focus to somewhere behind us. He then pointed his claw at a particular Digimon.

We looked to see that he was pointing at the newly appointed leader of the Valley, GeoGreymon, who wasn't about to take this lightly as a flame could be seen cooking up in his mouth.

But then the former leader, Triceramon, stepped in front of him.

"If you want our leader, then you'll have to go through me!"

"Sensei…" GeoGreymon watched as his predecessor stood in front of him, protecting him from whatever was about to come next.

"Tch… alright then," The Emperor grinned, "You'll do!"

Before anyone could react, he whipped out some sort of gun from under his trenchcoat and fired a bullet at Triceramon.

"SENSEI!" GeoGreymon cried, watching as Triceramon willingly accepted the fate that was about to befall him.

…Except, something else took the bullet instead.

The blue Greymon, who lost in the final round earlier, had rushed in front of Triceramon just in the nick of time. Triceramon watched, horrified, as his other student sacrificed himself before his eyes.

"BLUE!" His small Agumon friend cried, watching as blue Greymon crashed to the ground, "NOOO!"

The blue Greymon let out a final, eerily glitchy roar of pain, before splitting apart into a bunch of cubes which then disappeared.

"Even better," The bully smirked.

Before anyone could process what just happened, the gates at the entrance rumbled violently. Something had come-a-knocking.

The bully grinned, knowing exactly what was coming.

The gates were shattered to pieces as a horde of T-Rex-like Digimon busted their way in to invade the Valley. These were DarkTyrannomon; a frenzied, black and red version of the similarly named creature, with a much sturdier build and modified claws that looked like they could deal much more damage. There were other DarkTyrannomon residing in the Valley, who could only watch in anger as their possessed brothers began pouring in.

In mere moments, war had suddenly broke out. It was complete and utter chaos that I couldn't even begin to describe beyond the dinosaurs fighting each other to the death.

"They're… they're everywhere…" I muttered, overwhelmed by the complete, utter chaos that suddenly unfolded before us.

It was then that I remembered that I hate crowded places. Turns out I hate places crowded with giant fire breathing dinosaurs even more.

"Please tell me you had a contingency plan for this?" Victoria asked Thoma, who could only seethe in frustration as he apparently hadn't foreseen this circumstance.

We came here to protect the Greymon Valley, but all we were doing was standing around and watching as the madness continued.

"Well then, I for one am taking action. Samumon!"

"My blade shall not fail you," Victoria's partner sprang into action and began slicing possessed dinosaurs left and right.

"Me too!" Georgie clenched his fists, "What're we waiting for, Growlmon?!"

"I was waiting for you to say that!" Growlmon charged into battle at full pelt, the plasma blades on his arms charged as he prepared to slice and dice the enemy.

"PEOPLE OF THE GREYMON VALLEY!" GeoGreymon bellowed out to his citizens, "WE WILL NOT BACK DOWN OR SURRENDER! WE STAND, AND WE FIGHT FOR OUR HOME TOGETHER!" He let out a mighty roar, as he charged up his stronger flame attack and took out a bunch of DarkTyrannomon at once.

"That's the spirit!" Triceramon grinned at his student, as he grabbed one of the possessed DarkTyrannomon by the tail, swinging it around and hurling it in the self-proclaimed Emperor's direction.

The Emperor sneered, as a fireball flew in from the outside to destroy the Digimon that was flung his way.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing, as more Digimon suddenly barged their way into the Valley.

A Kuwagamon. An Airdramon. A Seadramon. And finally, a Monzaemon.

"No… no way! It can't be!" Greymon recognised the Seadramon, "They got him too?!"

Indeed, all the possessed Digimon that entered the fray were ones we'd fought against before. Seadramon wasn't an enemy, but a wild Digimon who helped out in that battle against Airdramon.

Notably absent from this group was Citramon. I couldn't imagine why.

"Monzaemon _again?_ " Thoma gritted his teeth, remembering what happened only yesterday.

As the hordes of DarkTyrannomon continued to be wiped out, apparently no one noticed another that was running in to join the group of Digimon that just entered.

"Guys, look!" Sora pointed at the Emperor, who was holding a small device in his hands. The device began to glow brightly.

"A Digivice?!" Thoma gasped, "But… how?"

The enemy Digimon that were gathered at the entrance started glowing in an aura of darkness.

"Greymon!" I pointed at the glowing enemies, "He's doing something! Stop him from doing it!"

" _NOVA FLAME!"_ Greymon shot a fireball at Monzaemon, but by the time the projectile made contact, it was too late. The five glowing Digimon had merged together and Greymon's attack did nothing. The cheating bastard's cheating again.

"That… that shouldn't be possible!" Thoma watched, as the resulting mess of a monster emerged from the dark aura.

"No," Sora clenched her fists, "We've seen something like this before. But… not with a Digivice."

Well, the Digimon that emerged was certainly _something_. Rather than a true evolution, it basically looked like the five had been mashed together with this being the end result. Monzaemon was the core of this creature, forming the head and upper torso. DarkTyrannomon's legs, right arm, and spines formed those same parts here. Airdramon and Kuwagamon's wings were visible on the back, with Airdramon's hair growing out of Monzaemon's head and its tail being stuck on the end of DarkTyrannomon's tail. Kuwagamon's pincers formed a pair of horns on the head. It had an extra set of hands in the form of Kuwagamon's arms, but in place of it's main left arm was Seadramon's head and part of the body kind of just stuck there.

"GET _IN!_ " The bully cheered in glee at this… thing, he just made.

To be frank, it somehow topped Citramon as the most ridiculous looking creature I'd ever seen.

"What the bloody effin' hell is _that?!_ " Georgie asked, beating me to the same question.

"A stronger version of Monzaemon," Thoma stated the obvious, before engulfing himself in a raging blue flame of Digisoul, "But we won't be outmatched this time. Gaogamon!"

"I'm ready when you are, master."

Thoma transferred this energy into his Digivice, which then shot out a beam of light at his partner. Gaogamon was engulfed in a larger egg-shaped sphere of energy as he Digivolved.

" _Gaogamon, chou shinka! MACHGAOGAMON!"_ Emerging from the light was a larger version of Gaogamon, now standing upright again but this time with a few cybernetic enhancements. The torn boxing gloves were replaced with a pair of mechanical gauntlets. He also had a new set of robotic legs, a pair of rocket thrusters attached to his back, a badass pair of sunglasses, and most interestingly a giant champion's belt wrapped around from over his left shoulder to under his right arm.

"Get ready for close quarters combat. We don't know what it's capable of, so we must finish it off quickly."

"Yes, master!"

"Takenouchi-senpai, are you able to evolve Birdramon any further?"

"I'm still getting used to the Digisoul, but I'll try."

"OK. MachGaogamon, full speed ahead!"

"Yes, master! _WINNING KNUCKLE!_ " The robodog fired up the rockets on his back, and flew straight forward at the Monzaemon mess, winding up a powerful punch.

Before he could make contact, the monster suddenly whipped its tail around, giving MachGaogamon no time to react as he was sent crashing to the ground.

"Damn it!" Thoma clenched his fists.

Then, the monster made its next move. It aimed the Seadramon headed arm in the general direction of the main battle, and began charging energy.

"EVERYONE!" MachGaogamon barked, "GET AWAY FROM THERE, NOW!"

Samumon and Growlmon took notice of the monster preparing its technique, and were able to leap out of harm's way.

Most of the Valley's residents were still locked in combat with possessed DarkTyrannomon. A few of them couldn't get out of the way in time for the monster to shoot a supercharged ice beam from the Seadramon head. The beam then dissipated and, just like that, everything in its line of fire was gone.

Holy fucking shit. We have no chance against that.

"No…" Sora teared up at the sight, "No way…"

I glared at the Bully, who was laughing like mad at his creation. If he wasn't so high up and being guarded by a fire breathing dinosaur, I was all but ready to kick him in the face.

Everyone was taken aback at the extreme power of that beam. But Triceramon was fuming.

"YOU MONSTER!" He roared, as he charged straight towards the composite Digimon, "YOU WILL PAY _DEARLY_ FOR THAT!"

"Sensei, wait!" GeoGreymon called, as his predecessor rushed at the enemy. But Triceramon wasn't listening.

Electricity crackled around Triceramon's horns as he prepared to ram straight into the Hackers' monster.

" _GOLDEN TRI-HORN ATTA-!"_

In the blink of an eye, the monster's DarkTyrannomon claw had pierced straight through his torso. It then effortlessly flung the mortally wounded Triceramon away.

"SENSEI!" GeoGreymon cried, as he ran to where his predecessor fell and crashed to the ground.

Suddenly, Sora was engulfed in a powerful reddish-pink flame.

"Birdramon," she transferred this energy to her Digivice as tears streamed down her face, "Please… be careful."

"I will!" Birdramon screeched as she flew ahead. A beam of light shot out of Sora's Digivice, and then her partner was contained in an egg-shaped sphere of energy.

" _Birdramon, chou shinka! GARUDAMON!"_ Out of the light came a humanoid eagle-like creature, with massive claws for hands and an enormous pair of wings on her back. She wore a mask decorated with tribal patterns and a feather, and long blond hair could be seen flowing from the back of her head. She hovered in the air, curling up as she gathered her strength and charged her technique.

" _SHADOW WING!"_ And then with a flap of her wings, a fiery bird-shaped projectile was shot at the composite creature. In response it shot a fireball out of its mouth, destroying Garudamon's projectile midair.

As this was going on, the rest of us rushed over to where Triceramon fell.

"Sensei, get up!" GeoGreymon tried to help his master stand, despite the big hole that was left in Triceramon's torso.

"I… I'm sorry," Triceramon struggled, as he was slowly dissolving, "I've failed you. I failed you both. I failed us all."

Greymon snarled at the sight, before turning to the battle behind us. MachGaogamon and Garudamon were locked in combat with the monster while Growlmon and Samumon continued to battle against the horde.

"Steven… I'm going in."

"Y-Yeah, go for it."

Greymon roared, before charging into the fray.

" _NOVA FLAME!"_ He breathed an enormous, white hot flame at the monster, drawing its attention.

"Heh… good to see Big Guy's doing well," Triceramon coughed, "He would've made a far better leader than someone like me. I only wanted to get this election over and done with, then leave this place behind and travel the world. But… I couldn't miss the chance to fight by his side one more time."

"Sensei, that's not true!" GeoGreymon shook his head, "You were a wonderful leader!"

"And you'll be even better than me… that's why I trained you so hard. I wanted to be sure of that."

The battle continued to rage behind us. Greymon was wrestling with the creature. MachGaogamon and Garudamon continued to pummel it from either side, but it didn't flinch once.

"Now, go!" Triceramon ordered his successor, "They need your help. Go get the Beast Spirit. Use Vritramon's power to protect our home. I'm counting on you, GeoGreymon."

GeoGreymon gave only a nod, as he ran towards the mountain in the middle of the Valley to fetch the Beast Spirit.

"OK, so at the very least we've just gotta buy him some time," I watched as our Digimon struggled against the Monzaemon mess.

"Chosen Children… you can do better than that. I know you can," Triceramon struggled as he started fading away, "Especially you, young Steven… wielder of the legendary Digivice."

"Legendary Digivice…?" Victoria asked.

"What's this about?" Georgie was also wondering.

Wait, how does Triceramon know about that?

"I sense that you doubt yourself… maybe Big Guy knows that too. That's why he's out there fighting so hard."

Greymon was locked in close combat with the monster. He breathed another stream of flame that did no apparent damage. After a moment, it pushed him back and sent him rolling on the floor. But he didn't give up. He charged straight back in, ramming the monster with the horns on his helmet.

"Listen to me. You don't know your own strength," Triceramon continued, "A great power lies within you… you have the potential to make your partner stronger. _Much_ stronger."

But what the heck makes _me_ so special? I'm just a nobody who happened to end up with this supposedly 'legendary' Digivice.

"There's… nothing especially unique, if that's what you're asking. The only difference between you and the others… you're holding back. You… you must have more faith… in… yoursel…"

And then he faded away.

…

His final words were stuck in my head for a while. Because he was absolutely right.

Maybe it's because I was bullied for much of my childhood. Notably by the bastard we're fighting against right now. It's never exactly done my self-confidence any favours.

After hearing that while watching him die, I was too busy hanging my head and staring at my feet to notice whatever was going on behind me.

"Ste-kun, watch out!"Next thing I knew, Sora tackled me to the ground, and then Greymon smashed into the floor right where I was standing. MachGaogamon and Garudamon also fell nearby.

"Sorry… you're not hurt, are you?"

"No, I… I'm fine-! GREYMON!"

His arm was missing.

I happened to see where it went, somewhere a bit further away. And then it dissolved.

"GREYMON! GREYMON, GET UP!"

He didn't respond. He was out for the count.

MachGaogamon and Garudamon struggled, but couldn't move. They too were overwhelmed by the monster's power.

We all looked on as the monster slowly approached us. Growlmon and Samumon left the main battle, now standing ahead in order to protect the rest of us. Even though they wouldn't stand a chance against this thing by themselves.

As it got closer, and closer, I could feel something welling up inside of me. Like a sudden adrenaline rush. Just like in that battle yesterday.

I looked into the distance to see my former bully, grinning evilly, as his creation moved in to finish us off.

That guy made my life hell in the past and it's not done my mental health any favours. Even now he just won't go away. Sure, there were too many other bullies to count because I was an easy target, but he was the worst of them all. And after all he and those others put me through I'm still dealing with years worth of bottled up anger and frustration. Up until now I've been able to manage it, but even then I struggle to hold it in when my berserk buttons are pushed… to the point where I've even taken it out on friends. Including that old friend who I've mentioned several times already.

Is… is this what Triceramon meant? Is my anger, and my unwillingness to let it get the better of me, the reason I'm holding back? And why I couldn't make Greymon evolve in that battle yesterday? Or am I taking the wrong lesson away from his final words?

Well, I ain't got much choice, so… time to find out.

The adrenaline continued to build up as the monster continued to approach. And here comes the typical fight-or-flight response. I know this feeling too well for my own good. A sudden burst of energy and…

Oh, there it is.

"Ste-kun!" Sora gasped, in amazement.

The others looked at me, astonished, as I was suddenly engulfed in a raging red flame of Digisoul. I could see it all around me. I could _feel_ it.

And now, I was gonna use it. To beat that fucking bully again.

I transferred the energy to my Digivice, after which it shot out a powerful beam of light at Greymon. He suddenly woke up, upon being supercharged with my Digisoul. He roared, as he gently floated up in the air and was contained in an egg-shaped sphere of energy.

In the distance, the Emperor's evil grin was suddenly gone.

" _Greymon, Digivolve to… METALGREYMON!"_

Emerging from the light was a larger version of Greymon, now armed with cybernetic parts. His skull-like helmet was now completely covered in metallic armour, and red hair could be seen growing out the back. A pair of hatches housing missile launchers were built into his chest. A pair of tattered, purple wings grew out of his back. In place of the left arm that he lost in battle a moment ago was a robotic replacement with a massive trident claw. More metallic parts were visible on his tail and legs, suggesting there was more robot underneath. But notably, his flesh was now blue.

I couldn't help but feel a sudden jolt of excitement as my favourite Digimon appeared before me.

Seems MachGaogamon and Garudamon were also fired up, as they got back up and stood by MetalGreymon's side, ready to fight once more.

"Well done, Steven," Thoma smirked, "But I'm not about to be surpassed by a rookie."

"Fair enough," I grinned back.

In spite of everything, given how absurdly powerful the Hackers' monster was we still only had a slightly better chance of winning.

Or so we thought, until a certain someone was paying keen attention.

"Look," Samumon pointed out, "one of its horns is cracked. And some of its hair has fallen out."

"I see," Victoria nodded, "then that can only mean…"

"It's unstable," Thoma noted, "We know how powerful this Digimon is, but it won't maintain that composition for long.

Georgie punched his palm, "So we just gotta wear it down."

"Exactly. We know what it's capable of now, so we'll surround it and attack from all sides. MetalGreymon, lead the char-"

" _FLAMES OF FURY!"_ MetalGreymon shot a powerful blue flame from his mouth, which struck the monster and stopped it in its path. He then charged in at full pelt, ramming it with his horns. His front horn pierced the monster's torso, and dark energy began to leak out of it.

"… MachGaogamon, Garudamon, attack from above!"

"Yes, master!" MachGaogamon nodded as he and Garudamon took to the sky.

"Samumon, Growlmon, attack from the ground!"

"I only take orders from Victoria… but I will acknowledge your tactical prowess," Samumon dashed into battle.

Growlmon rolled his eyes at Samumon's remark, before charging in himself.

As MetalGreymon wrestled with the composite monster, MachGaogamon and Garudamon flew circles around it and took turns delivering powerful punches. Now the monster was starting to budge.

"I'll stop it from moving. _YOKAI SLASH!_ " Samumon dashed forward and, in the blink of an eye, slashed the monster's left leg with his katana. The damage was minimal, but noticeable as it suddenly collapsed onto its knee. MetalGreymon kept pushing, forcing the monster back.

"I'll go for the tail!" Growlmon ran around the right leg.

"The tail…?" Samumon pondered, "…No, wait! Don't!"

Too late. The monster whipped its tail around, and in a mere moment Growlmon could be seen flailing around on it as his teeth were sunk right in.

"WAAAAA-HOOOOO!" Before long Growlmon gave in, and he was flung way up high before crashing back down to the ground.

"GROWLMON!" Georgie ran to his partner's aid.

"I-I'm fine," Growlmon weakly smiled, as he made the 'OK' gesture with his claw, "I got him good."

As soon as he said that, the Airdramon portion of the monster's tail fell off and dissolved.

"Aw, yeah! Nice one, mate!" Georgie fist pumped at his partner's achievement.

"Tch," the Emperor gritted his teeth.

Samumon went to remove the rest of the tail, before he was blasted by fireballs from the red Agumon atop the wall.

"It seems I have a _pest_ to deal with first," He leapt up - but then he was snagged by the monster's Seadramon arm, which reached around to grab him and flung him high up into the air.

"SAMUMON!" Victoria cried as she watched helplessly.

The monster then shot a large fireball from its mouth at Samumon.

"No!" Garudamon flew up to grab the samurai in midair, protecting him from the fireball as it blasted her in the back.

"GARUDAMON!" Sora cried, as her partner began freefalling.

"Samumon," Garudamon said as she held onto him, "I have enough strength for one more attack."

"As do I," Samumon replied, as Garudamon then used the last of her strength to hurl Samumon at the enemy at near-supersonic speed before she crash landed. He sliced through both of the monster's Kuwagamon pincer horns with his katana, destroying them both. Exhausted, Samumon then collapsed.

"MetalGreymon, hold him steady!" MachGaogamon flew in front of the monster, " _HOWLING CANNON!"_ He then howled, unleashing ultrasonic waves as he did. The monster began to struggle as it finally lost some of its strength.

Its eyes then glowed bright red, and then it threw MetalGreymon aside. It suddenly jumped up, ramming into MachGaogamon in mid air and knocking him out of the sky.

"MACHGAOGAMON!" Thoma cried to his downed partner.

"I… I'm not done… yet…!"

He gasped, as he saw the monster hovering in the air above us. It aimed the Seadramon arm at us, and began charging its ice beam attack again. MachGaogamon, using what little strength he had left, crawled over in order to protect us from the attack. His efforts however, would be futile.

But only because something else saved us instead.

A flaming object suddenly flew in, smashing into the monster and knocking it out of the sky. Out of the flames came a familiar looking, armoured dragon.

"Vritramon!" Thoma cheered, as the Digimon revealed itself.

Vritramon then flew in and began pummeling the creature. It went wild, almost berserk, as it punched the composite Digimon over, and over, and over again.

"Looks like someone beat me to it," a voice said from behind us.

What the… GeoGreymon?!

"But then… who's using the Beast Spirit?" Thoma asked.

"That's what _I_ want to know!"

Before long the monster whacked Vritramon aside with its DarkTyrannomon arm, and then grabbed him with the Seadramon arm. Vritramon was able to hold the mouth open and prevent it from clamping down on him, but it wasn't able to stop it from charging its ice beam attack again.

"No you don't!" MetalGreymon flew back in, clenching his teeth around the Seadramon arm and tearing it off of the monster. Its deadliest weapon was now gone.

Vritramon roared, setting itself ablaze and going wild again, before it continued to exchange blows with the monster. Neither of them were letting up, but the monster continued to weaken and fall apart.

MetalGreymon then launched the claw on his arm at the monster. The claw was attached to a cable, allowing him to wrap it around its legs. The monster then tripped over, unable to move and leaving itself completely exposed.

" _GIGA BLASTER!"_ The hatches on MetalGreymon's chest opened, and he fired several organic, shark-like missiles at the composite Digimon. The monster disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Rather than wait for it to emerge from the smoke, MetalGreymon flew straight in to ensure that it was finished off. His claw retracted back into his arm, and with it he then pierced the monster's torso. The composite Digimon collapsed like a lifeless doll, before it finally dissolved.

Just like that, it was all over. We won.

In the distance, it was clear to the Emperor that he was done here. He smugly grinned again as a portal opened, allowing him and the red Agumon to escape.

Meanwhile, the main battle was pretty much done, with the victors cheering as all the possessed DarkTyrannomon were destroyed.

Vritramon let out a fearsome roar, before glowing brightly and reverting to its prior form. The Beast Spirit warped back towards the mountain, and the light began falling to the ground.

MetalGreymon flew up and caught the light in midair, gently bringing it down to the ground with him.

The light dissipated, revealing an Agumon. A smaller-than-average Agumon, with tiny little claws.

"No… no way!" the first gatekeeper Agumon from earlier gasped, "I don't believe it!"

The second Agumon guard was also surprised, but had a firm smile of pride on his face. Or maybe he was enjoying the irony at the expense of his fellow gatekeeper.

"You!" GeoGreymon approached the saviour Agumon, "But… how? How did you do it?"

"I… I ran there after Blue was killed," the little Agumon explained, "And then they got Triceramon, and… well, what if they got you, too? I pleaded with the Spirit. I just wanted to protect our home! It listened to me, and… well, y'know."

"That was a pretty dangerous thing to do. We could've lost you, or worse!"

"I… I…"

"Say, how would you like me to take you under my wing?" GeoGreymon smiled, "Perhaps someday, you'll truly master Vritramon's strength… as the leader of the Greymon Valley."

The little Agumon's eyes lit up as he gave a huge smile, "I would be honoured, Sensei!"

"And I'm sure Blue would be proud of you, too," GeoGreymon nodded, before he turned to us, "Chosen Children, on behalf of the entire Greymon Valley… well, I can't thank you enough for your aid today. We lost many a great comrade, but without you our home would be in ruins. It was an honour to fight by your side."

"You're welcome," Thoma nodded, "However, your losses today were regretful and I must apologise."

"Don't worry about it. We're always prepared to face it when the time comes. That is, after all, the policy Triceramon-sensei put in place. That's the way of the Greymon Valley."

Sora placed her hand on my shoulder, "We also had a surprise saviour on our side today. Congratulations, Ste-kun!"

"Yeah! Well done, bro!" Georgie cheered as he gave me a pat on the back.

Gawd, don't make me the centre of attention please!

Victoria seemed to notice my awkwardness, silently congratulating me with a nod instead.

"You must be Big Guy's partner," GeoGreymon approached me, "If you ever need a place to train, you're always welcome here."

"Thank you," I nodded at GeoGreymon.

Before long, we all climbed aboard MetalGreymon's back as he prepared to fly us back to the Interminal. The Valley's residents cheered and waved as we made our departure.

"See? I told you!" Sora whispered into my ear, as we flew up high atop my newly evolved flying awesome robot dinosaur.

As I glanced back, I noticed Victoria was glaring at Sora again. I wondered what her deal was.

"Steven, if I may ask," Thoma asked anyway, "Who was that red Agumon? Did you recognise it?"

"That… is a story for another time," I replied, "But before I tell you, I have several questions I want answering first."

"I'll see what the higher-ups have to say."

"Fair enough."

Anyway, after that battle was done the Hackers seemed to disappear for a while. In fact, a few months passed by without any known activity from them. Security was tightened around the British Region, so for now at least, it looked like it would be safe from them.

Soon enough, it was September. I was about to start my second year at University, and Sora had moved over here from Japan to start her first year. It's still crazy that she actually went through with it, but it was better than her sitting around for months waiting for the semester to begin.

Needless to say it was peaceful for a while, but… it was almost _too_ peaceful. I wondered when the Hackers would strike again, not that I really wanted them to. Or where our next adventures would take us, not that I particularly wanted to go anywhere. Only time would tell, but it wouldn't be long before they were back again.

 **つづく**


	9. Episode 08: Flash

I don't know how long I've been in this world: the world of the Digital Monsters.

Months, years, maybe. It seems like an eternity, and nothing about that has changed since I came here. I could have arrived here yesterday, but then maybe my memory of entering this world would be a little clearer. However, I do know that there was a time, long ago, that the "Digital World" – as the natives call it – was once void of me. Truthfully speaking, I don't feel I belong here, but somehow I am, and this is my home… the only one I know.

My earliest memories of this world are still very shady. Not just in the lack of assertion, but also in the general strangeness and 'unknown' of it. Walking slowly through an overgrown jungle one second, and a dry desert the next. I just keep walking, and walking, and walking. I then collapse. I then remember dreaming for a long, long time. The thing I find with dreams is that even if you don't remember them after waking – and I rarely do – you just known that you've had one. That time was no different.

I remember waking to see another living thing before me. His name was Wizardmon, and I came to think of him as my friend. My only friend. The moment I saw the blue skin and his green eyes, uncovered by his hat and cloak, I began to weep and held onto him tightly. For all I knew he could have been a foe who had no interest but to cause me harm, but there and then I was willing to throw all caution into the wind and give this creature my unconditional trust. He allowed me to stay with him and gave me some temporary purpose as his assistant. He taught me about the Digital World, its workings, and its Digimon inhabitants.

Since that day I've come to learn of over a thousand different species of Digimon, and I have come to know and befriend many of them. Those who call themselves 'Vaccine' types are largely peaceful creatures, often grouping themselves by species into their own civilisations like the Greymon Valley. There are also many inherently unruly creatures, the 'Virus' types, as well as the mysterious 'Data' types who seem to know more about the world and their place in it.

Yes, during my time here I have learned more and more about the world in which I find myself, and its native Digimon. They indeed come in all shapes and size. Some are small and cute. Some are huge and monstrous. Some have beast-like forms, while others take on a more familiar appearance – one not unlike my own. It's for this reason that at times I have wondered if I, myself, am a Digimon like Andromon, Devimon and, of course, Wizardmon…

We lived a largely peaceful existence as we traversed the Digital World dealing our own-made goods, with the odd dubious customer trying to make trouble, but I had learned to defend myself and Wizardmon had his own abilities on his side. We crossed every continent, and came into contact with even the civilisation in the formerly _great_ Greymon Valley, before it fell into disarray.

I felt an affinity with him, which made it all the harder to say goodbye…

It was a day like any other. We were in Wizardmon's house when we heard a lot of commotion from a village close by. He told me he was going to investigate and that he wouldn't be long. I tried to follow him but he insisted it would be better if I stayed behind, and I trusted him.

Time passed, and I got concerned. The commotion seemed louder than before. I stepped outside to find a giant beast, a Monochromon, thrashing about the place, the village behind it in shambles. I had heard about it from Wizardmon, but never seen a Digimon that was so animalistic, so feral. Most of the creatures I had come to meet had a degree of intelligence matching, or even surpassing my own. Monochromon had caused the destruction to the village and now it was coming to the house. Before it got an inch closer, Wizardmon had caught up to it and unleashed his attack. The beast was unfazed, so I attempted to take it on myself; however Wizardmon hit me with a spell.

It wasn't until later when I realised that he merely stunned me so that I wasn't in any direct danger from the beast. Monochromon was unpredictable, trampling and stomping everywhere – it was just poor luck that my friend got caught up in it. At that moment, I only had one question. Why? Why did my friend attack me? Why wasn't I stronger? Why did Wizardmon have to die?

I left the house and went on a tour. It was all I could think to do. My reasons were simple – I relied too much on my friend. Everyday I would merely follow him, not doing anything for myself, like a duckling following its parent around aimlessly. It was that which led to the death of Wizardmon. And so, that's when I decided I wouldn't ever allow such a tragedy to befall anyone else in the Digital World.

I spent a long, long time afterwards on my own, but everywhere I went I made new allies and acquaintances with nearly all the Digimon villages and factions. I seemed to have a greater connection to the Data-type Digimon. One in particular was Centarumon, the keeper of an ancient temple, and gifted with great knowledge in the mysteries of the Digital World. I learned a lot from him and his associate, a being that called himself Gennai. From the two of them, I learned that the nature of everything in the Digital World was a collective of digital information, reconfigured as everything that existed around us – as though it was some great cosmic accident.

The source of this virtual data is a place he called "The Human World". This new concept at the time sent a shiver down my spine. It was as like some immense weight on my shoulders. I guess there are some things people are better off not knowing. The 'humans', I was told, were life forms that live in this parallel dimension, where the laws of nature are not unlike our own, yet still strangely different. As I felt a little of myself in them, the humans did indeed feel mystifying to me, but no more so than Gennai. Gennai was the most mysterious life form of all in the Digital World. He wasn't a Digimon like Centarumon, or any of the other Digimon I have met, or the humans I had come to learn more and more of as time went on. He was caught somewhere in the middle, and I felt a little sorry for him. To be the only one of his kind. I had once felt that sadness – but he, unlike me, didn't show it. Not a bit.

I learned from Gennai that some of these humans actually entered the Digital World in the past. An expedition by one group was followed by an unforgivable act of genocide by the next. And then time and time again, groups of young humans have also appeared to save this world from annihilation; however, their feats were only achieved with the help of their 'partner' Digimon who actually did all the fighting. While they were celebrated as heroes unlike those who arrived before them, I couldn't help but feel bitterness towards them. In a manner of thinking, I myself had a Digimon companion, and in trying to protect me he paid the ultimate price. The notion that others could fall to that fate sickened me.

I decided that human interference would only ever lead to the death of innocent Digimon. Even though I knew such thoughts were wrong, I couldn't deny how I felt. I promised the beings that live here that as long as I live in the Digital World, no harm would ever come to them.

Time has moved on as slowly as ever. Of late I have noticed more and more human activity where some of the Digimon are being controlled, and some more malevolent activity from so-called 'Hackers'. Unseen by the naked eye, they are unpredictable, and are able to manipulate the Digimon to their own diabolical ends. They remind me of the genocidal maniacs who came to this world before.

But I have also noticed yet another group of five young humans in this world. Like the other so-called 'heroes' before them, they have Digimon with them, and use them to fight on their behalf. I've been monitoring them for a short while now, and have seen that everywhere they go, trouble is sure to follow.

So far things have started fairly low key, but it won't be long before they get bigger, louder, and cause more of a scene. The Digimon are beginning to get in a state of unrest, continuing to live in fear of these invaders from another world.

But now, I've made my decision. Enough is enough.

I promise you, Wizardmon. No more Digimon will suffer. I _will_ save them.

* * *

 **Digimon Re:Link, Episode 08 :** " **Flash"**

Enough is enough!

I've barely been back at Uni for two weeks, and already the workload is taking its toll. Or maybe it just feels that way because it's already been months since I finished my first year and I'm having to adjust to that whole stupid routine again.

But it's been even longer since any major incidents occured in the Digital World. It would've been a convenient time for some side stories to take place, but alas, no such thing occurred that I'm aware of.

It hasn't all been peace and quiet, though. We took up GeoGreymon's offer to train at the Valley. DemiGreymon's had plenty of mock battles while I've been trying to master the Digisoul. Like Thoma once said, getting to the higher stages of evolution is more strenuous than you'd think; even a veteran like Sora had a hard time with the Digisoul at first as it's quite different to what she's used to, but she seems to have gotten the hang of it much faster than I have.

Then there's my brother Georgie, who one day surprised everyone by getting his partner Guilmon to the Ultimate level. He can now evolve into WarGrowlmon; with a much more heavily armed upper body with cannons built into the chest, jet verniers and an attack cable attached to the back, and two enormous metallic blades for arms, he was basically MetalGreymon on crack.

Speaking of which… despite my achievement in the battle at Greymon Valley, I've found that I can only get DemiGreymon to the Ultimate stage under certain conditions: the adrenaline rush, and the fight-or-flight response that follows, just like in that battle against the composite Digimon. And even then I'm only able to get him to the blue Virus-type MetalGreymon, which I'm told is the lesser of two variations. Fantastic!

As for Victoria, I'm not sure how she's getting on because she almost never showed up to our weekly training sessions, often sending Samanomon alone. In fact she's barely kept in touch at all and has largely kept her distance. She seems like the withdrawn, introverted type - which, I'll admit, is a trait we have in common - but more evidently, if I'm going by the glares she keeps giving, she seems to have some sort of grudge against Sora. I have no idea why, _especially_ Sora of all people, but… well, we'll find out sooner or later I guess.

About a week before Uni started up, Sora finally moved over here from Japan. I'm still not sure why she's going through with this considering she was hopping over to the Digital World's British Region all the time over summer, but… who can I blame apart from the faceless bureaucrats running that mysterious organisation who seem to value protocol over people's needs and welfare. Said mysterious organisation which Thoma is a member of and hasn't spoken much of beyond a so-called 'Digital Accident Tactics Squad', or DATS for short.

While I haven't been enrolled or anything like that, all I've been told is that it's like a police force that maintains the peace between both worlds, with their main responsibility being Digimon that stumble into the real world. While I don't doubt what he's saying because it makes a lot of sense to have such a thing in place, I feel like there's more to this organisation than a mere police department. I mean, there's got to be more to it if the likes of Gennai and Dave are involved. Heck, they still won't contact me directly or fill me in on anything that's going on. The most they're doing is using Thoma and Dave to tell me stuff on a need-to-know basis, and even then there's an apparent lack of communication between all parties. Even Thoma has shown disdain towards his higher-ups, and that tells me a lot.

I'd be just about finished ranting about this organisation if not for the way they've treated Sora. For all the trouble they're putting her through, you'd think they would have provided her with better accomodation. But instead she's having to settle for a no-frills room in one of the flats on campus. You could do much worse, but you don't get an awful lot of space to yourself. She seems fine with it though, after all it's only across the road from the University itself. And everything else she needs, shops and things like that, are all within reasonable walking distance.

But yeah, she took me up on my offer to show her around town so she knows where everything is. And she managed to made some friends during freshers week. Two weeks into the semester and, so far, so good!

Now, it was the last Sunday of the month. I was in the middle of wrapping my head around some coursework I was supposed to be doing when she called me out of the blue.

"Hey, Sora!" I answered the phone, enthusiastically, and all too happy to hear her voice, "What's up?"

" _Hi, Ste-kun! How are you today?"_

"Eh… not great. I'm getting a headache working on this 3D modelling assignment."

" _3D? That's amazing! I'd love to see it sometime!"_

"It's not fun, believe me. Anyway, what about you? How's things on your end?"

" _Well, I was just wondering… are you free this afternoon?"_

"I've got nothing planned as far as I know," and I _had_ intended to keep it that way, but… "What do you have in mind? Or did you want to train at the Valley again?"

" _No, that's not it. If it's alright with you, I'd like you to take me to an ice hockey game."_

Woah.

"Yeah, I'm up for that! What's brought this on?"

" _You talk about it a lot, so I got curious! I want to to see what it's like, and why you love it so much."_

"OK then! Let's see… there's a game starting at 6:30pm. I'll meet you at your place around 5-ish?"

" _Sure! I'm looking forward to it!"_

"OK, see you then!"

And then she hung up.

SCORE! No pun intended.

Honestly, I didn't particularly feel like going today. My 3D assignment was giving me a headache and the last place I needed to be was at that noisy rink. But there's no way I was gonna turn down the chance to spend some time with her.

Not that this really counts as a date or anything, much to my dismay. At least I don't _think_ it does. I mean, she probably already has a - _ANYWAY_ I needed to get out of the house, and this was as good an excuse as any. I've got weeks left to hand this thing in, so one day off isn't going to kill me.

"A real life hockey game?" DemiGreymon asked from the Digivice, "Can I come too? The videogame you showed me is cool, but I wanna see the real thing!"

"I kinda have to take you anyway."

"That's a weird way of putting it!"

"I mean, who knows when we'll be called back to fight again. What if something happens and you're not there with me?"

"Point taken."

"If we can find a way then, sure, I don't see why you couldn't at least watch. But I need you to stay in the Digivice no matter what."

"Gotcha."

I hate doing this to him, but we had a chat about this issue back in Episode 2. He knows very well why he can't run free in this world or be seen by other people, and yeah, it sucks. But that's just the nature of the world we live in. For now at least, there's no helping that.

Nothing noteworthy happened during the day - unless we count me screaming into a pillow to vent my frustration at my assignment - but soon enough it was 5-ish and I'd arrived at Sora's flat.

"Hi, Ste-kun!" She greeted me at the door.

"Heya! You all ready to go?"

"Actually… there's something I want to show you first. Please, come in!"

 _Woah._

She led me into her room. It certainly looked and felt more like her own space than when she first moved in. But it was somewhat chilly in here.

"I didn't realise it would get cold so soon," she blushed, "And it's a little embarrassing, but… I don't know how this heater works."

"Oh, right. Want me to take a look?" What do I look like, a portly everyman?

"Please, if you could!"

"Uh, yeah, OK! I'll see what I can do!"

Ugh, _this_ thing. The heater was placed just below the window, and in-between her bed and desk. In fact there wasn't all that much space between them, which is a bit alarming when I think about it.

Apparently, I had an obvious look of dread as I examined the heater.

"Are you sure? You don't seem so…?"

"Ehehe, well… I had a bad experience with mine when I lived here," I laughed awkwardly.

Yeah, I actually stayed in one of these rooms in my first year. But only for the first semester. I don't even live that far from Chelmsford so I decided it wasn't worth it.

"I see," she frowned, "But did you get it to work?"

"Oh, that part was fine once I figured it out. What happened after is what I'm worried about."

"What do you mean?"

"Well… before I do anything else, let's crack this window open a bit," so, I pushed it open, much to her confusion, "and now, you may want to cover your nose."

"Okay…?" so, she did that, looking a little worried.

"Right, here goes," I gulped, as I adjusted a couple of switches and powered it on.

Sure enough, the heater was working as intended. It blasted out some hot air as it began doing its job.

"So… it's alright?" she asked.

"Whew… yeah, it's fine," I sighed in relief.

"What happened with yours?"

"When I turned it on it shot out a load of dust, and then the room stank like a lizard's cage," I realise that's an oddly specific description of the stench that filled my room that day, but that's _exactly_ what it smelled like.

"A lizard's cage? Do you have a pet lizard at home?"

"Well, we _had_ one. A leopard gecko. He died around this time last year, while I was living here."

"Oh… I'm sorry."

"Yeah, he was a cool pet. But I don't miss the smell. Anyway, at least this is working now," I went to close her window and turn the heater off, "But we can't leave this on while you're out, so…"

"Really? Why?"

"Because _Health and Safety_ and all that. Also it's made in Britain, so it'll probably catch fire."

DemiGreymon could be heard roaring with laughter from my Digivice. I quickly covered the speaker in case anyone outside the room heard him.

"I see," Sora giggled. Was she starting to get my sense of humour now? I'm not sure.

She then went to put on her coat, and then grabbed a pale blue hat that was like a beanie.

"Ah, you've gone for the classic look!" I joked as she put on the beanie.

"Oh, this? My father once gave me a hat like this for my birthday," she adjusted it to fit comfortably on her head, "I rarely saw him as he's always worked in Kyoto, so… I wore it all the time, because it reminded me of him."

"I see, that's interesting!" _That's so cute!_

And I guess that all but confirms it wasn't a helmet.

Sounds like she has a somewhat complicated life at home. It'd be insensitive of me to ask, so-

"I always lived alone with my mother, and… we didn't get along so well," she told me anyway, "that is, until Piyomon helped me realise something."

"Your mother is wonderful, and she cares about you a lot!" said Piyomon, from her Digivice.

"I know," Sora held the Digivice close to her chest, as if hugging it.

"Wait, so you've met Sora's family?" DemiGreymon asked.

"That's right!" Piyomon replied.

"… Steven, you've got some explaining to do."

"W-Well, you're on good terms with my brother! And you've met my big sister too, haven't you?"

"Yeah, and you told her I was a guy in a costume!"

"Right, I _definitely_ should have told her that there was in fact a dinosaur casually playing videogames in my room. That would've ended well."

Sora laughed, "We were trying to keep the Digimon a secret from our families, too."

Piyomon added, "I only met Sora's mother because I had to protect her from Vamdemon's minions!"

"Oh, right!" DemiGreymon listened, with interest.

"So… for now," Sora smiled, "it's best if you wait until the time is right." _Yes! Thank you!_

"Anyway, shall we get going?" I asked, "We wanna get there before the good seats are taken."

"OK!"

Soon we arrived at the rink. The arena itself was kind of like a small hangar being suspended above the car park below it. It was attached to an adjacent leisure centre, and from the walkway leading up into the rink an outdoor swimming pool could be seen, looking like it had seen better days. Even the nearby river looked more inviting.

We got our tickets, and then snagged some front row seats right next to the glass, just in time for the pre-game warmup. Loud music blared from the speakers and was already doing my head in.

"It's smaller than I expected," Sora commented. The rink had enough space for a thousand spectators, if even that.

"Yeah. Ice hockey's never been as big a deal as say football or rugby. There are bigger rinks around, but the teams playing in those are in the top league."

She looked around, noticing the away team fans were seated in their own corner of the rink. The home fans were kind of everywhere else, and mostly clad in the team's black and yellow jersey.

"So what's that one?" She asked, pointing at the jersey I was wearing. Mine was purple and jade green, with a logo depicting a duck bill-shaped hockey mask in front of a pair of crossed hockey sticks. It didn't belong to either of the teams playing here tonight.

"Oh, they're in the major league over in America. I never get to see them play, so I'm just here for my fix." My fandom of a team that's more than five thousand, four hundred and fifty miles away from where I live is a long story, so I won't bore you with the details. Don't wanna get _too_ off track from the Digimon.

"I see, that's interesting!" She smiled, following the more detailed explanation I gave her. I'm not sure if she was genuinely taking interest or just being polite.

"Anyway, I'm gonna grab a coffee. Do you want anything?"

"Let me know what's available!"

"OK."

The canteen already had a sizable queue of people waiting to order food, so I didn't bother going there. Instead, I went to use a nearby coffee machine. I fancied a mocha, so I went with that.

After putting in some coins and placing my order, I noticed the lights on the machine flickered a bit. Otherwise it worked as intended and poured my drink, so I didn't think much of it.

"Steven!" DemiGreymon called me from the Digivice.

"What's up, pal?"

"… No, it's nothing. I thought I heard something just now."

"Oh. Weird."

So then I took my beverage and went back to sit with Sora.

"Welcome back!" She greeted me, "What did they have?"

"Well, just your standard range really. White coffee, black coffee, hot chocolate, cappuccino, and this mocha I got. It's basically a chocolate flavoured coffee."

"That sounds nice."

Sadly, it wasn't. I took a sip of my drink and it turns out all I got was vaguely chocolate flavoured hot water. Blech.

"What the…? That ain't right," I grimaced, after sipping the drink.

"You don't like it?"

"No, it's that bloody machine. I get these all the time, but it's never done that before."

"I think I'll pass on the coffee, then."

"Yeah, probably for the best."

Soon the buzzer sounded, and the players left for their locker rooms. An ice resurfacer drove around the rink, doing its thing.

"How long until the game starts?" She asked.

"About 15 minutes, give or take."

Sora opened up her bag, taking out a couple of small, fancy looking boxes that were decorated with floral patterns.

"Here," she passed me one.

"What's this?"

"Go ahead, open up!"

So I did that, and…

 _WOAH._

Inside was a meal she prepared, with rice, chicken, and some other bits neatly filling out the box. It looked _amazing._

"It's not much, but… I wanted to thank you, for all your help lately," she smiled, "It's the least I could do."

"Aw, that's alright! No need for that!" After all, you've had to come all the way over here for my sake in the first place, in spite of my well-documented disdain for whoever made that decision.

Also inside my box was a fork, whereas she had a pair of chopsticks for her meal.

She bashfully scratched her cheek, "I wasn't sure if you were able to use them, so…"

"Oh, believe me, I couldn't use those to save my life!" No joke, I'm terrible with chopsticks. My hand cramps up whenever I attempt to use them. Maybe I'll get better at it one day.

She smiled at me, before grabbing her chopsticks and digging in, "Itadakimasu!"

"Uh… ita… takimass," and then I did the same. Wow, I botched that pronunciation.

Did I say her food looked amazing? It tasted even better. She'll make someone a fine wife someday, I thought.

Not that that someone is going to be me, but- _dammit Steven, stop beating yourself up!_

Before long, the game was underway. We were already treated to three unanswered goals midway through the first period. An LED screen at the other end of the rink played tacky, cringeworthy animations after each goal was scored, before resuming its task as the scoreboard.

Meanwhile, some bloodthirsty teenagers nearby were chanting for a fight to happen.

"There's… fights in this?" Sora asked.

"Yeah, for better or worse. In a fast paced game like this, the players are bound to get angry at each other in the heat of the moment. For both teams, it means the players involved have to sit out for a five minute penalty."

"I see."

"Honestly, I have mixed feelings about the whole thing. On one hand, the punch-ups can be entertaining in their own right. But on the other hand the game kind of has a reputation for it, and… well, you get people like _that_ , who _only_ come for the fights."

She continued watching, looking a little concerned.

"However," I grinned, "there's a zero-tolerance policy in this league!"

She cracked up, giggling as I told her that. Those kids over there weren't gonna get what they were after tonight.

Soon, the first period was over, and the teams returned to their locker rooms.

"So, what do you think so far?" I asked.

"It's certainly fast paced. I can see why you like it! I'm not sure if I understand the rules, though."

"Yeah, it took me a while to pick them up myself. But if you like, I can tell you some of them now-"

Aaaand that'll have to wait, as my phone started ringing.

I took my phone out of my pocket, seeing Thoma's number on screen. Oh, _joy._

"Y'ello!" I answered.

" _Good evening, Steven. Where are you right now?"_

"I'm at a hockey game with Sora… why?"

" _I hate to interrupt, but we've got bad news. There's been reports of Digimon being kidnapped in the Greater European Region."_

"… Wait, kidnapped?"

Sora overheard our conversation, and then looked at her phone, alarmed at seeing the same bad news in text message form courtesy of Victoria.

"Hang on, don't tell me the Hackers are back."

" _I can't say for sure, but we've got orders from DATS to investigate. How soon can you leave?"_

"… Just give us ten minutes and we'll-!"

Suddenly, all the lights in the building went out at once. The arena was pitch black, and was then filled with confused grunts and chatter from the crowd in attendance.

Almost right after that, the LED screen at the end of the rink lit up, drawing the attention of both the spectators and the arena staff. It started glowing.

"Steven, there it is!" DemiGreymon said from the Digivice, as I somehow heard him through all the crowd chatter, "That's what I heard earlier! And now the radar's picked up on it too!"

"You mean that DigiMelody?" asked Piyomon, from her Digivice.

Digi… Melody?

"Wait a minute," I watched the screen, "Don't tell me that's…?!"

"Yup," DemiGreymon replied, grimly, "That's a Digimon."

Oh, _shit._

Turns out this 'DigiMelody' is like a sound signal that other Digimon give off, allowing us to detect them on our Digivices in addition to the radar that's already installed. What a handy feature! Too bad no one bothered to tell me about it until now.

With a brief flash of light, a beam shot out of the screen. Soon after that the arena lights turned back on, and the light beam was kind of zipping around before finding its way out of the main entrance. A few people looked around, wondering if they were seeing things.

"Ste-kun!" Sora alerted me.

"I know, I know!" I replied, as we hurried outside.

" _Steven? What's going on?"_ asked Thoma.

"You guys go ahead, we've got a situation here!"

" _… Understood. Rendezvous with us ASAP."_

"Got it!"

We got outside, and looked around to see where the Digimon went.

"Look, there it is!" Sora pointed at a nearby lamp post.

Atop the lamp post was a humanoid figure. It looked like a superheroic speed skater, with a white scarf flowing behind its back like a cape. It also wore a white and pale blue bodysuit underneath darker blue body armour, as well as a pair of ice skates, and blue gloves with enormous, tacky lightning bolt-shaped blades attached. Adorning its head was a spiky blue helmet, reminding me of another blue speedster.

"A Rinkmon!" Piyomon exclaimed, "But why's he here?"

Maybe because we happen to be at an ice rink, I suppose.

Rinkmon looked around, his red eyes glowing as he scanned the area.

Wait, he's not possessed, is he?

… No, this isn't the behaviour of a possessed Digimon. If that were the case, he'd already be causing chaos by now. It seemed more like he was avoiding detection. Likely not an easy task with his brightly coloured outfit.

Also, this guy ruined my coffee! The bastard!

"OI!" I yelled, drawing Rinkmon's attention. He looked my way, spotted us, and then dashed off. Luckily we happened to see where he went, as he began dashing from lamp post to lamp post up the river.

We ran down that walkway from earlier and followed him towards the road. He was now heading in the general direction of a nearby retail estate. Yeah, maybe shouting at him wasn't one of my best ideas.

We crossed the road and continued to give chase. Luckily he was avoiding the retail estate altogether, instead continuing to follow the river, down a path leading around the estate. This led further into a park-like area with some trees, which was dimly lit. I'm pretty sure I told Sora to avoid this area at night. OK now I'm really regretting this.

Rinkmon continued to leap from lamp post to lamp post, and we continued running to catch up to him. Frankly, it was exhausting, and I wasn't sure how much further I could go. Sora was able to keep running with no sign of slowing down as I lagged behind. I should really follow her example and be more physically acti - uh I mean, curse these short legs of mine!

The lamp posts were soon getting fewer and further between, and then Rinkmon came to a dead end as he stopped before the railway bridge. He hid around the side, watching carefully as a train went past. We now had a chance to catch up to him.

"Rinkmon! Please, stop!" Piyomon left her Digivice, "We won't hurt you!"

Rinkmon looked our way, watching as DemiGreymon then left my Digivice. But apparently something else caught his attention as he stared my way.

"WAGH!" I was taken by surprise as Rinkmon was suddenly right in my face. I stopped in my tracks and fell on my back.

"I know that team!" He exclaimed excitedly, as he pointed at my jersey.

"Ugh… w-wait, what? You do?" I asked, as Sora and DemiGreymon helped me up.

"Heck yeah, I do! A legendary player is among their ranks. The Finnish Flash! He's my hero!"

"… Oh, him! Yeah! Mine too!" I must admit, it was so, _so_ weird that I was now talking hockey with this overly eager Digimon.

"Anyway, what are you _doing_ here?!" DemiGreymon demanded.

"Well…" Rinkmon scratched his head, "You see, watching hockey games is my hobby. I actually had no intention of jumping into the human world at all!"

So then he told us about how he goes about partaking in his hobby. He leaves the confines of the Digital World itself to travel at near-lightspeed across the internet, stopping by in different arenas across the globe and hiding inside the jumbotrons, which he claims make for the best views of the game. As luck would have it, he just happened to end up here in Chelmsford tonight. Boy, what a crazy coincidence.

"So why did you leave the screen?" I asked, "Was it you who caused that blackout?"

"I have no idea what that was! I was minding my own business, and then the power suddenly went out."

Ah. So he didn't ruin my coffee after all.

"I was trapped in that digital space, with no way out. So I used my ability to leave that screen and enter the human world. If I'd stayed in there any longer, I might have been deleted. I had no choice."

 _Yikes._

"Anyway, I'm lucky you guys came after me! If it'd been Hypnos or the Data Squad or someone else… well, if the rumours are to be believed, I would have been destroyed for sure."

"The Data Squad? You mean DATS?"

"… Yeah, them."

The name Hypnos vaguely rang a bell, although I wasn't sure why at the time. But DATS? I thought they were meant to be the good guys?

"Do you know anything about this?" I asked Sora.

"Sorry, I don't know much about Hypnos. But Thoma-san is with DATS, right?"

Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure DATS were involved when Citramon appeared a while back. Unlike Rinkmon, he didn't exactly come across as a movie buff.

Rinkmon folded his arms, "Honestly, so much has gone on between our worlds that we Digimon don't always know who to trust. But I'm sure glad I met you guys!"

"Whatever the case, we've gotta get you back to the Digital World," I said, "We have a quick way there if you could follow us."

"Lead the way!"

"… But you've gotta stay out of sight, no matter what."

"Uh, right, gotcha!"

"Should we go back the way we came?" Sora asked, as we returned our partners to their Digivices.

"No point," I shook my head, "If we keep following this path we'll end up back on campus anyway."

So we continued walking up this way, with Rinkmon hiding in the shadows nearby. We were lucky not to run into any people on the way, and before long we were back at Sora's flat. She checked to see if anyone was about, before letting Rinkmon inside. She then locked her bedroom door behind us. That would've been another ' _Woah'_ from me if we weren't accompanied by a crazy speed skater.

"And now we've gotta meet up with the others!" I huffed, as I took off my hockey jersey. That thing was definitely not going there with me.

"Are your friends in the Digital World right now?" asked Rinkmon.

"Apparently some Digimon are being kidnapped. And DATS has told us to look into it."

"I see… well, I'm happy to help you guys out! I'm the fastest thing in the Digital World after all!"

"Wow, really?"

"Thank you so much!" Sora smiled at him.

"Don't mention it, I'm just returning the favour!" Rinkmon gave a thumbs up.

Sora opened up her laptop, loading up the 'game' interface. Rinkmon glowed brightly, dissolving into light particles that flew into the screen. We then saw him waving at us from the other side.

"Alright, let's go!" I held up my Digivice.

"OK!" And Sora held up hers, as we then warped to the Digital World.

What a fun night out this is turning out to be.

 **つづく**

* * *

Author's Note: this chapter's opening segment was originally written by an old friend who lent me a character to use when I wrote the original version of this story in 2008. It was originally a standalone mini chapter, but now I felt it appropriate to open the second arc with this bit instead. I've made some minor alterations to fit the tone of this newer version of the story, but either way, I'm giving credit where credit is due. Thanks, Martin!


	10. Episode 09: Shorthanded

"We've arrived at the French Region's Interminal."

"I should hope so, Thoma. I was worried we might have warped to the Australian Region by mistake."

"No need to be _sarcastic_ , Victoria."

"Yeah, seriously Vic! Why you in such a mood today?"

"Georgie, how many times must I tell you to stop calling me that?"

"It's easier!"

"Whatever. Anyway, where on Earth are the others? Too busy with their date to help us I suppose."

"At least they actually bothered to train with us, unlike some people."

"Oh? Are you picking a fight with me?"

"Well if you're gonna chat shit about my brother, then-"

" _Ahem_. While I agree that their outing was poorly timed, they informed me that a Digimon appeared and they're dealing with that as we speak. They'll join us as soon as they're able to."

"Oh, right."

" _Thank you,_ Thoma."

"According to the details from DATS, this coastal town is where the kidnappings were last reported. Apparently the Digimon were being taken one at a time, as opposed to large groups all at once."

"Thoma, with all due respect to your higher-ups, I find it hard to believe that most Digimon could merely be swept off their feet and taken away."

"And that's where the next piece of information is important, Victoria. The Digimon being kidnapped are all at the Baby or In-Training levels, and notably belonging to game users in the real world. It's likely that they're being grabbed after they've hatched in the nearby Primary Village."

"And only one at a time? You'd think at least two of those could be carried at once. Depending on who the kidnapper is."

"So it's not the Hackers then, Thoma?"

"Given the scale of the operation, I highly doubt they're involved, Georgie. We know their methods of controlling Digimon are far less humane than simply kidnapping them. Of course, we could assume the worst case scenario that they're building an army with them."

"But they didn't exactly have trouble rounding up that horde of DarkTyrannomon a while back."

"Good point, Victoria. But we still don't know how or where they came from. Either way, we should head for the Primary Village. Perhaps Gennai's counterpart Jean-Luc will have more details for us."

"Georgie, I see something up ahead!"

"What is it, Guilmon?"

"A DarkTyrannomon."

"Oh for… actually, maybe that's him. He's gotta be with the Hackers."

"I'm not sure. I don't detect any Dark Drills, or any kind of virus installed."

"But he's a virus type, right?"

"Samanomon, that's a totally different thing. Besides, _I'm_ a virus type!"

"Sorry, Guilmon. I'm still kinda new to all this!"

"Master, he's heading straight towards us, and appears to be showing hostility."

"Everyone, keep your guard up."

"Grrrr, hur, hur, huurrr…"

"Yeah, I knew it. He's with the Hackers, ain't he?"

"You got 'dat right, kid! _FIRE BLAST!_ "

"Everyone, attack!"

 _"DOUBLE BACKHAND!"_

 _"ICE TORPEDO!"_

 _"ROCK BREAKER!"_

"UNNFF! Screw 'dis! If 'dat guy wants 'dese kids beat so bad, he can do it 'imself!"

"..."

"Well, that was crap."

"At least this wasn't resolved with violence and death, for a change."

"Yeah, actually, I agree with you Vic."

"Seriously, stop that now."

"Well, anyway, let's head towards the Primary Village and see if Jean-Luc can provide us with any-"

"Grrrrr...RAAARGHH… _RAAAAARRRRGGHHHHH!_ "

* * *

 **Digimon Re:Link, Episode 09:** **"Shorthanded"**

"Are you alright, Ste-kun? You didn't catch a cold, did you?"

"Look, it was only a sneeze. I'm fine, really!"

"If you say so…"

We'd arrived near the same old Interminal in the British Region. We were always meeting up with Sora here before travelling to the Greymon Valley over summer. Honestly, I was starting to get sick of this place.

"Where did your friends say they were at, again?" asked Rinkmon.

"They're over in the Greater European Region," a familiar voice answered, "Or more specifically, the French Region, investigating Digimon kidnappings."

Rinkmon froze, looking like he'd seen a ghost. The voice belonged to Dave, who did his usual appearing-out-of-nowhere act to greet us.

"More importantly, _Rinkmon_ ," Dave approached him, with an uncharacteristically sinister tone in his voice, "Where have _you_ been…?"

"I, uh…" He was nervously sweating. For some reason, this was clearly visible on his helmet.

"What, exactly, were you doing in the human world just now?"

"… Sorry to jet, but I'm in a hurry!"

"You're not going _anywhere_ , you git!" Dave pounced on Rinkmon, pinning him to the ground.

"AAGGHH! Someone, help!"

Me, Sora, and our Digimon exchanged bewildered looks as Dave wrestled Rinkmon into submission. Somehow, I got the feeling that his 'hobby' had something to do with this.

"What have we _told_ you about going off into the human networks, you bloomin' imbecile?! You know _very_ well how dangerous that is! Teemu must be worried sick!"

"… Wait, Teemu?" I asked.

"He's my Finnish counterpart."

"Oh." Not the Flash, then.

"OW! Alright, alright!" Rinkmon struggled, "I… I'll never do that again!"

"Do you _mean_ it this time?" Dave snarled.

"..."

"I know you love your ice hockey but you can't keep risking your life for it, especially in the current crisis we're facing! Who knows what could happen while you're off venturing away on the internet?"

"... I know. I'm sorry."

"Good," Dave let go of Rinkmon, who slowly got back up.

"I don't mean to butt in," I did anyway, "but I don't see what the problem is. He's not exactly doing any harm."

"That's not the issue," Dave turned to me, "believe it or not, the internet is actually very dangerous for Digimon to travel in! If something happens to them and they die outside of the Digital World, they won't return. _Ever._ "

"Are you sure about that? Greymon beat a Citramon in the real world and he reverted into an egg."

"That, what you witnessed, is a newer fail-safe function of the DigiCore. If a Digimon in the human world takes a certain level of damage, the fail-safe will activate, forcing them to revert to an egg. This is to prevent them from being deleted forever, which… regrettably, has happened too many times in the past."

"Not just evil Digimon, like Vamdemon and his army, but…" Sora shook her head, "…our friends have also been lost in the real world."

"And even _with_ the fail-safe in place, a Digimon could still die if it takes too much damage or if something forcibly deletes them. At that point their data becomes too unstable and they will disappear forever."

Just thinking about it gave me the chills. That almost happened to Rinkmon while we were at the game. I'd better not tell Dave that.

"What about the Digimon that die here?" I asked, "Their data kind of just floats away instead of reverting to an egg. So where does it go?"

"Ah, that'll have to wait for another day. Isn't there somewhere you need to be right now?"

"Oh, good point."

We followed Dave into the Interminal, and then he input the coordinates into a screen for our destination in the French Region.

"Well, this can't be good," Dave scratched his chin as he examined the screen, watching as it flashed red and gave him an error message.

"What's going on?"

"I can't connect to the other end, which can only mean one thing; the Hackers are within the vicinity."

"... So let me get this straight. We need to be right there, right now, fighting those guys, and it won't let us go there?"

"It's a standard safety protocol of the Interminals. Due to the risks involved with warping to one while it's under threat, there's no way around it."

Well, crap.

"You could warp to one of the others elsewhere in the Region, but they're too far away from where you need to go."

"We could fly our Digimon there, but…"

"We'd be easy targets from above," Sora pointed out.

"Right. And we'll need to save our energy if there's a powerful enemy."

"I could carry you guys over there! After all, I'm the fastest thing in the Digital World!" Rinkmon boasted.

"So you said. How fast are we talking, exactly?"

"Only around ninety eight percent the speed of light!"

Sora smiled awkwardly, "Thank you, Rinkmon, but…"

"… We'd probably _die,_ " I finished the sentence.

"Ste-kun!"

"What? I'm just telling it like it is!"

"But… you didn't have to-"

" _Ahem._ There is another way," Dave turned to us with a grin, "follow me!"

He then took us to another location just south of the river. Beyond the trees was another building, similar to the Interminal, but much larger. Out from the other end, a pair of monorail tracks could be seen leading into a tunnel.

Hang on… is this what I think it is?

Yup, we walked inside and it was basically a railway station. A train was waiting to depart, and right up the front was what appeared to be some kind of mechanical, locomotive-esque Digimon.

"A Trailmon service runs from this station, crossing the Channel in an underground tunnel that leads into the French Region."

I see what they did there.

Standing by the nearest coach was a Starmon, awaiting passengers, "You guys got tickets?"

"They're with me," Dave made way for us, "And they need to get to the French Region, pronto. How soon can you le-?"

"Oh, hey! It's you guys!" Starmon recognised us, "The humans from before! We owe ya big time for savin' us from those Evil Rings!"

Ah, so this is where they came from.

"Come to think of it," Sora smiled at me, "that's when we first met, wasn't it?"

"Oh! Y-yeah, it was!" I replied awkwardly.

"Right this way, please!" Starmon made way for us to board the train, "two humans, three Digimon, and…?"

"I'm staying behind today," said Dave, "Can't afford any holidays right now, I'm afraid!"

"Alrighty!" Starmon blew a whistle, signalling the driver up front before jumping onboard himself.

"Godspeed," Dave waved to us as the train made its departure.

Before long, the train entered a dark tunnel.

"So, what's a Channel?" DemiGreymon asked, "Is that like the thing on TV?"

"What? No, it's… it's the bit of sea that separates us from France in the real world," I replied.

"You mean that?" Asked Piyomon, as she looked out the window.

The train had come out of the dark tunnel and was now travelling through a clear underwater tube. There wasn't much to sea - uh, _see_ , down here, but the Channel was faintly illuminated by the setting sun, with rays of orange light glistening through the water.

"It's beautiful," Sora marvelled at the sight.

"Are we there yet?" Asked Rinkmon.

… Are you _serious?_

"Sorry, I always wanted to say that!"

A holographic screen then appeared in front of us, in which a Starmon could be seen, _"We should arrive at our destination in approximately ten minutes!"_ He answered Rinkmon's question.

Starmon stepped away from the camera on the other side, revealing his other four crewmates operating the Trailmon up front. They were all lined up, and bowed before the camera.

 _"Chosen Children; on behalf of myself and my crew, thanks for saving us before! We'd also like to thank you for using the Euro Starmon Express, giving you a Five Star service every time!"_

The train abruptly started to slow down. The lead Starmon stumbled, before looking around awkwardly at his crewmates.

 _"WHAT'RE YOU IDIOTS DOIN'?! GET BACK TO WOR-"_ The screen vanished. And then the train abruptly sped back up. Actually, I think it was going faster than before. No wonder it's empty, I thought to myself.

Then, my Digivice began bleeping. It'd been a while since I last heard it, but I recognised this particular bleeping pattern from the video call function. I pressed a button, revealing Thoma's face on screen.

 _"Steven! Senpai! Where are you both right now?"_

"The Interminal's down, so we're taking a train. What's going on?"

"Thoma-san, is everything alright?" Sora leaned in, looking at my Digivice screen.

 _"No, we were ambushed. See for yourself,"_ he then moved his Digivice to show us the battle that was taking place, _"Gaomon and Samanomon are down, and WarGrowlmon's the last one standing."_

On screen, WarGrowlmon could be seen wrestling with another robotic, dinosaur-like Digimon; a MetalTyrannomon. It was a white T-Rex with black spines running down its back, armed with metallic claws featuring built-in cannons. Wires and cables were running all over its body, even wrapping around its tail, but the most notable feature was a large, metallic jaw stuck underneath its mouth.

 _"A DarkTyrannomon appeared, and then suddenly went berserk and evolved. I suspect the Hackers are involved."_

 _"Get 'im, WarGrowlmon!"_ Georgie could be heard encouraging his partner.

 _"I'm trying!"_ WarGrowlmon was grappling with MetalTyrannomon, and began charging the cannons on his chest. And then MetalTyrannomon suddenly leapt back, before firing a beam from its left claw, striking WarGrowlmon with a powerful explosion that knocked him back.

 _"WarGrowlmon!"_

 _"I'm not done yet!"_ And then he charged back in.

The video call cut off right after that. Not sure if Thoma hung up or if we just lost our signal down here.

"Oh, for fff…" I grumbled, holding in a nasty swear word and facepalming in frustration. Don't you just hate it when you need to attend to an urgent issue but you're stuck on public transport and not able to do anything? Few things in life are more frustrating than that.

"Ste-kun… he'll be OK," Sora placed her hand on my shoulder, knowing exactly who I was concerned about.

While I appreciated her attempt to comfort me, it didn't exactly make the situation much better. The next five minutes or whatever it was of being stuck on this bloody train felt like an eternity.

But eventually, the train made it to a coastal town in the French Region. We all got off and ran to where the others were.

Thankfully, it looked like the dust had already settled. For one thing, MetalTyrannomon was nowhere to be seen.

"Sorry we're late!" I huffed, as we ran over to them, "What happened?"

I was half expecting one of them to give me an earful. But instead, Thoma and Victoria exchanged nervous glances, before looking in my brother's direction. He was kneeling on the ground, not saying a word. Trembling in anger.

"... Georgie?" I asked, as I approached him, "What's going on? Where's…?"

"Gigimon's gone."

What? What do you mean he's gone?

… Hang on, don't tell me he-!

"That bloody _PRAT_ came and took him away!" Georgie yelled, before punching the ground.

Confused, I looked to Thoma for answers.

"Our suspect appeared almost immediately after MetalTyrannomon was defeated," he told me, "and then he ran away after snatching up Gigimon."

"He came and then went in a mere moment," Victoria shook her head, "Our Digimon were injured in the fight, but even then it happened so fast that we couldn't do anything."

"What did he look like?" Sora asked, "Did you see where he went?"

"Of _course_ not," Victoria glared back, "but maybe a couple extra sets of _eyes_ , or even _Digimon_ , would have been useful tonight."

Sora was taken aback, noticeably upset at Victoria's response.

"Hey, back off!" I jumped in, "It's not like we _knew_ this was gonna bloody happen. Besides, if we weren't at that game tonight, well…"

"Uh, hi there," Rinkmon waved.

"So, this is the Digimon you encountered?" Thoma asked.

"Long story short; if we hadn't found him, he'd be running around lost in the real world right now," I explained, before glaring at Victoria, "so, yeah, I'm sorry we weren't _being useful_."

"Hmph," Victoria scoffed, turning away.

"If it helps, I could go look for them!" Rinkmon gave a thumbs up, "But I guess it's no good if you don't know what the culprit looks like."

"If I recall correctly," Thoma pondered, "He appeared to be human. Or at least, a humanoid figure, wearing green… with a large brimmed hat."

"Now where have I… hey, wait a minute! I've met that guy before! He's-"

"His name is Kaze," a familiar voice interrupted. Approaching us was another Gennai doppelganger, in another different outfit. Like Dave with his deliberately 'British' look, this counterpart had gone for a generically stereotypical 'French' aesthetic, wearing a black beret and a striped jumper.

"Jean-Luc," Thoma recognised him.

"So, is he with the Hackers or what?" asked Victoria.

"Sacré bleu! You're not even going to introduce yourselves? Ho ho!" Jean-Luc laughed, his sense of humour being equally as terrible as Dave's and the timing being even worse, "While much mystery surrounds Kaze, I can assure you that he has no connection to the Hackers whatsoever."

"Yeah, I've only met him a handful of times, but he's a pretty cool guy!" said Rinkmon, "He's always travelled the world, helping out wherever he goes. Last time I saw him he was in a Primary Village somewhere, taking care of baby Digimon."

And yet, he's now going to those very same Primary Villages and _kidnapping_ them! What's the deal? Did he wake up on the wrong side of the bed?

"Beats me. I heard he used to travel with a Wizardmon. But that was years before my time so I don't know much else about them."

So was Wizardmon his partner, then?

"Not exactly," Jean-Luc answered my question, "in human world terms, you could say that Wizardmon was the master and Kaze the apprentice. Wizardmon found him somewhere, and took him under his wing. However... he was later killed by a rampaging Digimon. He sacrificed himself to protect Kaze from a similar fate, which has weighed heavily on his heart to this day."

"That's so sad…" Sora held her hands against her chest, expressing her sympathy.

Thoma pondered, "The Digimon he's kidnapping are all registered to real world game users… could it be that there's a deep-rooted resentment for humans partnered with Digimon?"

"That may very well be the case," Jean-Luc folded his arms, "problem is, he's never really opened up to anyone. Not even the Digimon he's helped take care of. Goodness knows what's going through his head."

… Also, where did he come from? Just how long has he been in the Digital World?

Jean-Luc shook his head, "While we know Kaze well, that's the one thing even we don't know about. His origin is the biggest mystery of all, especially to Kaze himself."

"Actually, that scenario sounds familiar," said Thoma.

"Ah, you mean Ikuto? While it's true that there were cases of people accidentally being transported to the Digital World in the past, Kaze has been here since even before that. But unlike Ikuto, he doesn't appear to have aged a bit."

As absurd as that sounds, I was having a harder time _not_ believing it. Enough weird stuff happens in this world that makes a human not aging seem normal, or at least, unsurprising. I wondered if Kaze could fill us in on his secret.

… But more importantly, "Shouldn't we start searching for him already?" I asked, looking in the direction of Georgie, who was still kneeling and trembling in anger.

Thoma walked over to my sibling, placing a hand on his shoulder, "Georgie, I promise you. We _will_ find Gigimon. No matter what or how long it takes."

"When I find 'im… I'm gonna knock that bastard out," Georgie growled.

"Before you do that… you should punch me. Right now."

"… You what, mate?"

"As your team leader, I've failed you today. I should have been more wary of the situation we were in. It's my fault Gigimon was captured. So, you should take it out on me."

Dude, what?

"… No. I ain't doing that," Georgie shook his head. Clearly having had enough, he held up his Digivice, before glowing and dissolving into golden yellow particles of light, which floated up and into a floating rectangle in the sky.

"He doesn't like being ordered around, does he?" Thoma smirked, "Almost reminds me of someone else I know."

He turned to me, noticing the confused stare I was giving him, "Let's just say, it wouldn't have been the first time I let a teammate punch me in the face."

Uh, okay.

"Tell ya what, I'll start looking now!" Rinkmon gave a thumbs up, "I'll ask around the region, see if anyone knows anything. I'll let you guys know if I see him, too!"

"We appreciate your help," Thoma thanked him, "Meet us back here tomorrow."

"Think you could be more specific timewise? I can't stand waiting around. Being stuck on that train was bad enough!"

"Tomorrow's Monday, so…" I scratched my head, "Georgie doesn't get home from school until about 4pm-ish. And I have a lecture that finishes before then."

"Oh, me too!" Sora raised her hand, "We can meet up at my place again, if that's easier!"

"Y-Yeah, sure!"

"Four's fine with me," said Victoria.

"Very well," Thoma nodded.

"Cool. Seeya then!" And then Rinkmon dashed off in the blink of an eye. Well, he certainly wasn't lying about the speed he was capable of reaching.

Thoma then made his way back to the real world. The rest of us were about to follow suit, until…

"Steven," Victoria suddenly grabbed my arm, "I'd like a word."

"...Oh, well, okay," I then turned to Sora, "I'll be back in a minute."

"Okay, Ste-kun!" Sora smiled, "See you later, Victoria-chan!"

"Bye," Victoria gave a half-hearted wave.

Sora then dissolved into reddish-pink particles that floated up into a rectangle in the sky. I saw her materialise in her room after a flash of light. She waved at us from the other side, despite us being invisible through the game interface.

Jean-Luc suddenly vanished, leaving me and Victoria by ourselves.

Well, this was awkward. Even though she was the first person I met here, we'd never been alone for a chat like this.

"First of all… I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier," Victoria sighed, "I realise that was uncalled for. I guess even I get caught in the heat of the moment sometimes."

"Yeah, it happens. But frankly, I'm not the one you should be apologising to."

She frowned, knowing exactly who I was talking about, "Then I'll get straight to the point; I don't trust her."

"Why?"

"I warned you not to get too close to her. And yet, you're now spending an awful lot of time together."

"As I remember, _'don't get too close to her'_ was _all_ you told me. Maybe you could've been less _vague_ with your 'warning'. That doesn't really tell me anything."

"I'd hoped you would have figured it out on your own, but I guess that's not the case."

"Anyway, I don't see what the problem is."

"Of course you wouldn't. You have a blatant crush on her which is clouding your judgement."

Egads! How did she know? I wasn't _that_ obvious, was I?

"Don't you find it even a little bit strange? That she's come all the way from Japan for this specific purpose? Or that she just happens to be attending the same University as you?"

"What, you think I _don't?_ "

"So, you're not totally blind, then."

"Well I'm only human after all… but even then, I know very well that her moving all the way over here, apparently for my sake, is completely insane. I don't know who made that decision for her, or if she even agreed to it, but…"

"Have you asked her about it?"

"Of course I have! But, come to think of it… she dodged the question when I did bring it up. Maybe she's just not comfortable answering it."

"And there you have it. She's obviously hiding something from you. No… from _all_ of us."

"..."

"I don't expect you to pay much attention, but consider this my second warning. Don't come crying to me if she stabs you in the back. I'll see you tomorrow."

"... Yeah, sure."

I won't lie. I felt like I'd just been punched in the gut. Needless to say, I didn't want to hear any of that. Nor did I want to think too much about it. But I couldn't deny that she made a valid point. I briefly wondered if I should be more careful around Sora from now on, but I just couldn't admit it to myself.

"Even if Victoria doesn't trust her," DemiGreymon suddenly spoke from the Digivice, "I do. After all, she and Piyomon helped free me from that Dark Drill, remember?"

"I'm glad you do, buddy."

Well, anyway, time to get back and grab my stuff.

I materialised in Sora's room. After regaining my senses I looked around, wondering where she went before seeing her turning on the heater. She was also wearing my hockey jersey… !

She turned around, and then froze, blushing as I caught her in the act.

"Sorry," she nervously smiled as she shot up from the floor, "It looked comfy… so I wanted to try it on."

"N-No, that's fine! Don't worry about it!"

God damn it, she's adorable. There's no way she'd be the type to stab me in the back… she just couldn't.

"… Anyway, you'll need this back, right? It's cold out there tonight!"

"Oh! Y-yeah…" I quickly turned around, giving her an opportunity to take the jersey off. Not that it's a particularly difficult item of clothing to remove, being somewhat baggy.

"Thank you… for standing up for me earlier, by the way."

"Don't mention it."

"You can turn around now."

"Ta," I took the jersey as she handed it back to me.

She had an obvious look of melancholy as I then put it back on.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Ste-kun… can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

She took a deep breath, and then let out a sigh, seemingly dreading what she was about to ask.

"Does Victoria-chan… hate me?"

"No… well, at least, I don't _think_ she does." But I guess I wasn't the only one who noticed the all too frequent glaring.

"..."

"I mean, you exchanged phone numbers, right? She must like you enough to have done that, at least."

"But still…"

"I guess you girls haven't had a chance to talk much. Maybe she just has a hard time opening up to others. Or… expressing herself properly. Something like that." Not that I'm calling her out for it. She and I are similar in that regard.

"Maybe you're right. I… I should try to talk to her."

"She's not the most approachable person in the world, but she's not detestable either. It'd be better for us all if you both got along. And if I'm right," I grinned, "you know that better than any of us."

"Thank you," she smiled, following my reassurance, "You know… that sounds like something an old friend would have said."

"Oh really?"

"Not that I have anything against Thoma-san, but… I think you'd make a wonderful leader, Ste-kun."

Wait, where'd _that_ come from?

"I appreciate it, but that's not the kind of person I am," I shrugged, "Anyway, I've got a train to catch. I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Oh, and Ste-kun?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for taking me to that game earlier. I know we didn't get to stay for very long, but I had a lot of fun. Let's go again sometime!"

"Of course! Any time you like!" Provided we get a day off from Digital World stuff, at least.

"Looking forward to it."

"Seeya!"

"Bye!"

As I made my way to the station, I thought to myself; no, there's no way Sora's planning to betray my trust. Not if she's actively encouraging me like that. I know Victoria's heart was in the right place, but I was convinced at this point that she had the wrong idea.

I thought back to another time, when Sora deliberately had me accompany her on Birdramon's talons to get me used to flying. Right before then was when Victoria gave me her initial 'warning'.

That got me thinking. I snickered to myself.

"I have a cunning plan."

The next day, we all met up by that very same coastal town in the French Region. It made a change from seeing that same old Interminal yet again, at least.

Rinkmon was already waiting for us, impatiently, "Where have you guys been? D'ya have any idea what time it is?!"

"Uh, 4:04pm?" I asked.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Rinkmon," Thoma apologised, "But you left before we could give you the correct local time."

Oh yeah, they're an hour ahead of us here.

Georgie appeared a moment after the rest of us did. All things considered, I was surprised to see him.

"You okay, Weegee?" I asked.

"Oh… yeah, I'm fine bro," he scratched the back of his head, "It's a bit weird not having Guilmon around, but, y'know."

"Excellent, you're all here!" Jean-Luc suddenly appeared, even giving us a similar greeting to Dave.

"So, what did you find out?" Thoma asked Rinkmon.

"Well… I didn't see him anywhere, and I kinda got mixed info."

And we're already off to a great start!

"I'm told he went further south in this region. But I also heard he went east to the German Region. Or southeast to the DigiAlps. Everyone's told me different stuff so it doesn't look like we're getting anywhere fast."

… Actually, this is perfect. I think I know where this is going.

"So, we just need to split up and look for him, right?" I asked.

"I was about to make that same suggestion myself," said Thoma, "Samumon and Rinkmon aren't large enough to carry us around, so that only leaves us with three Digimon capable of transportation."

No, the problem is that Rinkmon is too _fast_.

"Gaogamon and I will travel south. Steven, you and Greymon take the east. Sora, you and Birdramon can fly to the Alps."

"That's fine by me!" Sora smiled.

The three of us transferred energy to our Digivices, as our partners were then enveloped in glowing egg-shaped spheres of light.

 _"Gaomon, shinka! GAOGAMON"_

 _"Piyomon, shinka! BIRDRAMON!"_

 _"DemiGreymon, Digivolve to… GREYMON!"_

And now, it's time to put my cunning plan into practice.

"Georgie, I think you should go with Thoma."

"Oh, OK then," Georgie shrugged.

"I'm fine with that," said Thoma, "But why are you…?"

"Rinkmon, you go ahead of me to the east. If you could scout the area ahead for me, that'd be great."

"Aye aye!" Rinkmon gave me a salute for some reason, and then whooshed off.

As Georgie climbed aboard Gaogamon, I happened to notice Victoria glaring at me. So, I stared back.

"What?" She asked.

"Well?" I asked her, "What are you going to do?"

Her glare sharpened.

"See, here's the thing; you _could_ tag along with me," not that I think she'd particularly enjoy my company, "even though I've got Rinkmon checking the area ahead. Or, you could-"

"I could go home."

"... Er, true. Buut, either way, Sora and Birdramon are gonna be all by themselves way up in the sky."

Victoria bit her lip.

"I'm just saying; an extra set of _eyes_ would be useful, don't you think?"

"... Touché," she scowled, as she begrudgingly walked over to Birdramon.

Sora glanced at me in surprise, reacting nervously to Victoria's decision. But I gave her a grin and a thumbs up in return. They needed an opportunity to talk it out, so, now was the perfect time.

I think Sora understood what I was up to, as she responded with a forced smile and a gesture that was like a double fist pump. It was very cute.

"Au revoir, Chosen Children!" Jean-Luc bid us farewell, before disappearing again.

Before long, the others began to make their move. Gaogamon dashed off to the south with his passengers. Birdramon started making her ascent, flapping her wings with Sora and Victoria aboard her talons.

"Ste-kun! Are you sure you'll be alright by yourself?" Sora called.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine!" I called back.

No exchange of words with Victoria, who was instead shooting daggers at me. Oh well. Where are those pixel sunglasses when you need them?

Suddenly, I was receiving a Digivice video call from Thoma.

 _"I should be calling you out for insubordination, but that was brilliantly played. Well done,"_ as Thoma spoke, Georgie could be heard laughing his head off in the background.

"Thanks!" Again, all things considered, it was good to see my brother in a better mood.

Time for us to get a move on, too. "Let's go, Greymon!"

"You got it!"

And so, we made our way east.

I'd hoped we wouldn't run into any trouble with the Hackers, especially since we've all split up. But of course, they're part of the reason we're in this mess to begin with. Little did I know at the time that they were going to make their long-awaited comeback in one of the worst ways possible.

 **つづく**


	11. Episode 10: Viewpoint

I'm trapped. Separated from my partner, after being taken away from him. Locked up in a cage in a dark, dimly lit cave, somewhere.

Behind me are a few other Digimon, as small and helpless as I am. They all look terribly afraid and confused. They're wondering why they're here, what's going to happen to them. But unlike me, they haven't been locked up. Maybe because I'm the only one who actually bothered to try escaping.

Either way, I'm gonna be outta here sooner or later. Whether I break this cage and sneak out unnoticed, or my partner comes to find me, or I starve to death and revert to a Digiegg… whichever way out happens first is fine by me, as long as I'm reunited with him.

Soon, a tall figure enters the cave. I say tall, but by human standards he's probably about average height. I guess he looks much bigger to me as I'm only about the size of a human head myself. My four, tiny, stubby legs aren't exactly helping my stature.

This human, dressed in green, looks like some kind of adventurer. Atop his head is a large brimmed hat, and he's wearing a scarf-like cape around his neck. His heroic silhouette is giving me a sense of deja vu for some reason. Maybe I've seen him before, but I can't quite put my finger on it… not that I have any in this form.

He lights a fire, preparing a bunch of fish he just caught. They look tasty. After a little while he's done with his cooking, and passes it to his other captives behind me. They're surely starving by now, so they gobble it all straight up.

The human approaches me, handing me a fish to eat. It's tempting as I'm very hungry right now... but, I refuse, turning away.

"Why?" he asks, "You haven't eaten since that battle yesterday. You'll starve."

"I'm not eating anything unless it's from Georgie."

"Who's this 'Georgie' you keep speaking of? Is that the angry young human who forced you to fight?"

"Forced…? He's my partner, and my best friend in all the world. Don't you dare speak of him that way!"

"Partner? Friend? He's just using you as a tool, a living _weapon_ , to fight other Digimon with. If that's what you call a friend, I'd love to know what you define as an enemy. You deserve better than that."

"No. You don't understand. We fight together. We fight for a reason. I have to protect him from danger-"

"ENOUGH!" he barks, slamming his fist into the ground.

The others behind me squeal nervously at his sudden outburst. I'm unmoved, as I glare back at him.

"You… _you_ don't understand anything," he snarls, as he gets up to leave the cave.

But then I ask him; "You're lonely… aren't you?"

The human stops in his tracks, hanging his head.

"Wizardmon…"

"Huh?"

"He said those very words to me, when I first encountered him a long time ago. He was my only friend… and he died trying to protect me."

Wizardmon. Now where have I… !

"Wait a sec," I ask, before he leaves the cave again, "are you, by any chance… Kaze?"

* * *

 **Digimon Re:Link, Episode 10:** " **Viewpoint"**

So far, the search for Gigimon wasn't going particularly well.

After travelling for a good while, me and Greymon ended up in a forest somewhere in the German Region. The trees were tall and thin, with rays of light from the setting sun shining through. While it again looked like an actual real world forest had been lazily copied and pasted here - or, perhaps, painstakingly recreated through inspiration from a Goggle image search - there was something about this place that I liked. It was tranquil, and being here helped put my mind at ease.

It was peaceful to the point where there weren't any other Digimon in sight, which was a bit weird. Just me and Greymon, trudging through this forest.

"You think we're going the right way?" Greymon asked.

"Well, I hope so. But I wonder what's taking Rinkmon so long."

"Y'know, you get along well with him!"

"That came out of nowhere."

"I'm just saying, is all."

"Is there a problem?"

"Uh… no?"

"Well, it helps that he's a fellow hockey fan… _somehow_. And looks up to the same player, no less. But if you think I'm replacing you with him as my partner, you can think again."

"What? But I wasn't…"

"There's not a bad bone in his body, but he's a crazy and reckless son of a gun. If he was my partner, I wouldn't be able to keep up with him. Everyone tells me I have the patience of a saint, but even I have limits. So, yeah, you're stuck with me I'm afraid!" I laughed as I pat him on the helmet.

"You make that sound like a bad thing! But what I meant is… it's good to see you making friends with other Digimon, too."

"Aaah, right, I gotcha. Yeah, it makes a nice change from fighting possessed Digimon. Or wild Digimon picking fights with us for no reason."

"Ain't _that_ the truth!"

I looked around to see if there were any signs of that Kaze guy, hoping I'd spot him by chance. But the forest was so quiet that all I could hear were Greymon's footsteps. It didn't help that we only had a vague description of Kaze's appearance to go by, nor did the fact that all I could see around me was green, apparently matching the colour of his outfit. Perhaps, I thought out loud, it was a deliberate choice to camouflage himself in the wilderness, making our search roughly the equivalent of a _Where's Willis_ book where the titular character somehow blends in with _everything_. Well played, Kaze.

"... Who's _Willis?_ " asked Greymon.

" _Where's_ Willis," I corrected him.

"... Huh?"

"Nevermind," I chuckled.

I'd thought about checking up on the others, but prior to meeting up earlier, we made a point to only contact each other in the event of an emergency, or if one of us actually found Gigimon. If any of the others are in trouble, we'd have to abandon our search and go help them out.

Still, I suppose Sora and Victoria might been having an easier time where they've gone. The DigiAlps are presumably covered in snow like their real world counterparts, so unless this guy has a white outfit that he also happens to carry around…

…Wait, the DigiAlps? Who _names_ these places?

While I couldn't check up on them at the time, that doesn't mean you won't see how the others are doing, dear reader. Obviously, I couldn't be in those specific places while the others happened to be offering their perspective of things, and there's not a lot going on at my end. So now I'll let them take turns to narrate in my place. Not that I personally read their recollections until long after the fact, but… well, if I go on any longer I'll ruin the pacing of the story.

* * *

I am Thoma H. Norstein. You may recognize the name from my animated counterpart in a certain television show. As for whether it's my real name, I'm afraid that's classified information.

Like my fictional namesake, I'm employed by an organisation known as the Digital Accident Tactics Squad; a task force whose objective is to maintain order between Earth and the Digital World. My recruitment came after I was chosen by an unknown entity to be the partner of a Gaomon, who is both my loyal servant and my dearest friend.

Officially, my current teammates are not members of DATS; however, I was elected to lead them and provide tactical support. Though the reason I was specifically selected has not yet been disclosed to me, I suspect that this is due to my proximity to the others. I'm of mixed Japanese and Austrian descent, born into a family of aristocrats, and so I currently reside in Europe at the time of writing.

My seniority comes in spite of the fact that I'm the second youngest member of the team, as well as the fact that one of my Chosen predecessors has also joined us; Takenouchi Sora-san of the so-called 'Original Eight', despite that being a misnomer as there was at least one group even before their time. She has strangely relocated to the United Kingdom, residing on the campus of and attending the same University as Steven, in order to take part in our operations. Again, I have yet to be filled in on any official reason for this, and no one I've asked will reveal anything to me. Steven has expressed his frustrations at both Sora-san's situation and the lack of information being provided. I have no doubt that he's already disclosed this in his recollections of these events, perhaps with a colorful selection of expletive words.

Currently, myself and Gaogamon are travelling towards the south of the Digital World's French Region. Steven's younger sibling Georgie is with us, in spite of his partner Digimon being missing. Both myself and Steven had advised him to stay at home, but at his insistence, here he is. Despite being the youngest member of the team, he reminds me somewhat of an acquaintance who I haven't seen in some time. Though not quite as reckless, he has a tendency to be short tempered, rather stubborn, and dislikes taking orders to the point where he wouldn't even punch me in the face when told to, whereas my former teammate would have jumped at the chance. But, like my former colleague, he shows an exceptional sense of loyalty to his family, a trait that I always found admirable.

He and his brother have an unusual dynamic; Steven is somewhat quiet, reserved, and introspective compared to his younger sibling, however he seems to be self-restrained to the point where it's doing him more harm than good. His worst trait may be his obvious lack of self-confidence; compared to the rest of us, his mastery of the Digisoul has unfortunately progressed slowly. And taking into consideration the powerful Digimon he's partnered with, this is alarming. He could be wasting his potential, or worse, ill-prepared for any life threatening situation he may be faced with. Truth be told I was reluctant for him to travel alone today, but the situation with Gigimon didn't leave us with much choice but to split up and search for him. In hindsight, a large-scale DATS search party would have been a more practical solution, but knowing the higher-ups they would have deemed such an operation a waste of time and resources. And that's despite the fact that they assigned us with the task of finding Kaze in the first place.

Speaking as the current leader of the team, I would relish the opportunity to put Steven's leadership skills to the test. It's clear to me that he dislikes being in the spotlight, yet he has shown some potential and it would be a shame to waste it. For example, he deliberately had Victoria accompany Sora-san today in hopes of building their chemistry. And I believe he had Georgie accompany me for similar reasons.

As for Victoria; while she does contribute well to our efforts, even making her own decisions on the battlefield at times when I cannot, she has otherwise remained aloof to the point where she rarely joined our training exercises over summer. She seems to have shown a greater mastery of the Digisoul than Steven has, but to my knowledge she has yet to evolve her partner beyond the Champion stage. Although she too has yet to be recruited by DATS, I am somewhat familiar with her through some connections - but, that information is classified, so I cannot reveal any more than that for now.

As myself, Georgie, and Gaogamon continued travelling through the plains of the southern French Region, Georgie appeared to be in deep thought, which was unusual for him. Perhaps he was trying to take his mind off the fact that his partner was still missing.

"You OK back there?" I asked him.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Was just thinking about something."

"Evidently. What's on your mind?"

"I might take up boxing."

Well, I didn't expect that.

"What's funny about that?" He asked, in response to my sudden laughter.

"You surprised me, that's all. May I ask what inspired this?"

"I realised something about myself last night, after that guy took Gigimon away. I have trouble with anger management. Like, I need an _outlet_ for it, y'know? I was talking to Dad about it, and he knows a bloke who could help."

"There's someone else who could help you with that. In fact, they're sitting in front of you right now."

"… Wait, you do boxing?"

"I have, for as long as I can remember." Despite my upbringing, I took a liking to boxing in my youth, and soon took it up myself. I had a less than favorable relationship with my father so perhaps I, like Georgie today, needed an outlet at the time. I've since gone on to spar with Olympic boxers, and even briefly with my childhood hero - albeit, in a less than ideal scenario that was apparently recreated in the anime. Curiously, Gaomon is equipped with boxing gloves when he's in that form, so we've been able to train together in the ring. Perhaps we humans have more influence on our partner Digimon than we think; either that or it was someone or something's deliberate design choice.

"I'll believe it when I see it, mate," he scoffed at the part about the Olympians.

"It's the truth," Gaogamon backed me up, "I've witnessed it with my own eyes."

"… Fair enough!" Georgie shrugged, "He never lies, so I can't argue with that! Reckon you could teach me a thing or two, then?"

"Perhaps I could take you under my wing," I replied.

"Master, I still haven't detected Gigimon's scent," Gaogamon spoke.

"Keep searching. We have to find him, no matter what."

"Yes, master!"

A short period of time passed as we continued our search. But soon, Gaogamon stopped running, and looked around.

"Wait, you found him?" Georgie asked.

"No," Gaogamon snarled, as he crouched, preparing to leap at a moment's notice, "this is…"

* * *

I'm Victoria. I've asked Steven not to reveal my surname in his recollections, so Victoria is all you'll know me as.

At the time, I was resisting the urge to punch him in the gut after he forced me into the situation I'm currently in; that being the fact that I was up in the sky with one of my other teammates, travelling south east towards the so-called 'DigiAlps'.

The part where I was up high, and somehow sitting on the talon of a giant bird wasn't the problem. Nor the fact that freezing cold wind was blowing in my face. My only issue was the partner of said giant bird Digimon, sitting on her other foot.

But let me make myself clear; it's not that I disliked Sora. Perhaps it would be more accurate if I said I didn't know her well enough to form an opinion of her. My initial impression was one of fascination as she hails from Japan, a country of which I am both very fond of and have some loose connection to. As a self-proclaimed 'onna otaku', the idea of actually befriending someone from Japan was, admittedly, very exciting. But I noticed that she had already grown close to Steven. It's not that I had an issue with this per se, but something about it seemed… _odd_. I grew suspicious.

We'd been up here for a while and neither of us spoke a word. I for one don't mind silence like this as I'm not exactly one for small talk. But it would have been better if there wasn't any obvious tension.

I should have been keeping my eyes peeled looking out for Kaze, or rather Gigimon, or any enemies that might have been floating around. But Sora was noticeably uncomfortable, which was frankly distracting. She looked as if she didn't particularly want to be here, much less with me. I wondered if she knew I was onto her.

I know it was casually mentioned by Steven that he wrote her character into an old fanfiction, but that doesn't even begin to answer the questions I have. I found it strange that her real life counterpart would just happen to move all the way to the UK, even going so far as to attend the same University as him. All for the purpose of helping him on his adventures here in the Digital World. But there had to be more to it than that, more reason for her to be here. I wondered if her presence had anything to do with the supposedly 'legendary' Digivice that Steven is using. After learning of that during the battle of Greymon Valley, my suspicions only grew more.

I briefly glanced at my Digivice screen, noticing that Samanomon was gazing back at me with those big, happy eyes of his. It almost seemed like he was egging me on to start a conversation with her. It's hard to believe that this little guy came to life from a drawing I did some time ago - and, ironically, he was also the first genuine friend I'd made in a while. As overeager as he can be, I have him to thank for where I am today. I suppose I have Steven to thank for similar reasons - however, while I had put a certain amount of faith into him, I still wasn't sure if I was ready to call him a 'friend' just yet. We'd barely interacted beyond whatever we'd done here in the Digital World. And when all this is eventually over, what then? Would we remain friends after that, or are we just fellow Digimon tamers?

I let out a sigh, as I was about to reluctantly start talking to her, but then…

"Uh…"

I glanced her way, as she suddenly started talking.

"... It's cold up here, isn't it?"

Really? _That's_ the first thing you say to me?

"Sorry," she blushed as she apologised, "We've never had a chance to talk before, have we? I… don't know you too well, so I couldn't think of anything else to say."

Oh, so that's what was bothering her.

"That's fine," I replied as I looked ahead.

I could see where she was coming from. I've never been particularly good when it comes to new people. Maybe that's why I hadn't been around the others much.

"But you know," I said, as she happened to provide me with a convenient segue, "You seem to get on just fine with Steven. Did you not have trouble with him at first?"

"Well, actually…" she then filled me in on her first meeting with him. Turns out it was just as awkward as the situation we were in just now.

"Yeah, that sounds like him." Even though I didn't know him too well then, what she described to me seemed accurate, at least based on my own limited interactions with him.

"Ste-kun even tried telling a joke, but I didn't understand it at the time. Now that I look back…"

"You even gave him a nickname. That's cute." If not a little strange.

"He's… surprisingly relaxed about his name. He let me choose a nickname if I wanted, so that's what I went with."

"And the honorific?"

"Oh, well... you see, in Japan, we-"

"I know. But we don't do that over here. You know that, don't you?"

"Of course! That's just what Ste-kun told me. But…"

"But what?"

"Well… it's a tough habit to break when I've used them all my life."

"Right. I guess for you, it's weird if nobody's a kun or a chan or a san, right?"

"He's told me to be careful with those around other students. I think he's worried about them making fun of me. But, to tell the truth, I'm glad he let me use one for him."

"Why's that?"

She paused for a moment before giving her answer.

"Because… it makes me feel a little less homesick."

Oh.

Oddly, I hadn't even considered that possibility.

Then again, I've been back and forth between Britain and Japan numerous times, accompanying my father on his business trips. Those frequent visits may have played a part in my fondness for Japanese culture, but it also helped that I was at the right age for the 90's anime boom. I suppose Tokyo was always my happy place, maybe I'd go as far as to say it felt like my home away from home.

"Not that this feeling is anything new to me," she continued, "after all, ten years ago I was trapped in this world with the other Chosen Children for what seemed like months, maybe even longer. I guess what I'm experiencing now is more… how do I describe it?"

"Culture shock, perhaps?"

"Yeah, maybe that's it. But Piyomon, and all of you too, have helped alleviate that feeling somewhat. Ste-kun, Georgie-kun, Thoma-san… and you, Victoria-chan. I hope you don't mind if I call you that."

"Of course. It's better than 'Vicky', at least." And especially 'Vic'. For some reason I always hated my name being shortened like that.

"Vicky-chan!" She giggled, "That's cute!"

Oh okay maybe I actually kind of like that.

"If it's easier for you, then that's fine. I suppose 'Steven-kun' seemed rather clunky, too."

"'Ste-kun' is short, simple, and fun. It suits him well, I think!"

"Well, I don't know about the 'fun' part. Also, he may be a bit slow, but simple he is not."

"Eh? I didn't mean it like that!"

I may have had a sly smile on my face as she reacted that way.

"... That's mean," she pouted, as she turned away.

After that, I could confirm at least one thing: she wasn't just putting on the 'nice girl' act.

"Let me tell you about myself," I began, "I was brought up in a wealthy household, with… very strict, authoritarian parents. I'd go as far as to say they've been a little overprotective, too. I never had many friends growing up and I've largely kept myself to myself. The people I'd consider my closest friends have always been behind an avatar on a computer screen, somewhere far away."

"That's..."

"It's all I've ever known, so I'm not especially bothered by it. If anything, I'm happier in solitude. To say the least, the people I've known in real life have been much less pleasant. Online, people whose real names I never knew, whose faces I've never seen, and voices I've never heard... they would always praise, or, at least give some kind of constructive criticism for my artwork. I can talk to them, have actual _conversations_ with them. But other children at school would single me out and antagonise me for it instead. I was kind of an outcast throughout my school life. The few friends I did have would often move on to other groups, or they'd try to manipulate me and take advantage of my family's wealth. Even now, people try getting close to me only to have some kind of ulterior motive."

"I'm sorry to hear that, but… why are you telling me all this?"

"It's for those reasons that I have a hard time putting faith into others. You're the first person I've ever opened up to about any of this. And yet, between the four of you… you're the one I trust least of all, Sora."

"… I see."

"With that in mind, I think it's fair that you tell me now, what exactly you're doing over here."

"Well… I'm studying Fashion Design at the university Ste-kun goes to, but I'm also here to help him in the Digital World-"

"At that university, of all places? Surely, there were much better options for you back in Tokyo?"

"…W-Well, maybe, but-"

"And what about the whole ' _helping Ste-kun in the Digital World'_ thing? He's got Thoma. He's got me, as much as I don't especially want to be involved. He's even got his little brother, which proves they could scout _anyone_ if they wanted. So why you, specifically?"

"..."

"Why are you _really_ here?"

She remained tight lipped, visibly uncomfortable as I effectively backed her into a corner.

"I… I can't…"

Bingo.

Samanomon chimed in, "Tell you what, I'll cover my ears! I won't tell anybody!"

I'm not sure if that's really going to-

"LA LA LA I'M NOT LISTENING LA LA LA!"

...Well, whatever.

I continued to glare at Sora as she continued to look away, refusing to answer my questi-

 _**私** _ _**͉̬̠̩̼** _ _**は** _ _**説** _ _**͇̥̟̟̮̱** _ _**明** _ _**͉̣̣̪͇̻̥͝** _ _**し** _ _**҉̫̭͚͔** _ _**ま** _ _**̘̲̞̩͙̖** _ _**す** _ _**͔̥** _ _**。** _ _**̞͍͙̟** _

…

Wait, what was that?

I looked around for wherever that voice came from, before I noticed Sora blankly staring at me…!

What the-? Just who are you, really?

No… let me rephrase that.

 _What_ are you?

* * *

Aaand back to me. Steven. The narrator. You get the idea.

Me and Greymon were still slowly travelling through this forest. Still no sign of Gigimon anywhere. At least it was better than walking through a desert, I guess.

"... Wait a minute," Greymon sniffed the air, "I've picked up on something."

"Is it Gigimon?"

"No, it's not him. It's-"

"I'm back!" Rinkmon suddenly whooshed in, stopping dead in front of Greymon. The dinosaur stumbled, almost throwing me off his back by mistake.

"Bloody hell, you've gotta stop doing that!" I complained to the crazy speed skater.

"I found Kaze!"

"... Wait, really?"

"Then why didn't you grab Gigimon while you were there?" Greymon asked.

"Well, I didn't see him for one thing. But, put two and two together and of course he's gotta be there too!"

To say nothing of the fact that you travel at near-lightspeed, which would probably kill the little guy a hundred times over.

"Anyway, follow me!" Rinkmon ran ahead, at a slower pace for once, "We're almost there!"

As luck would have it, we were going the right way after all. We continued straight down the path we were going, before meeting a river.

On the other side of the river was a rock formation, and an entrance to a cave could just about be seen. On our side was a convenient bush for us to hide behind. But it wasn't large enough to conceal Greymon's presence.

"Quick, get down!" Rinkmon crouched behind the bush, and observed the cave entrance. Greymon crouched down and I got off his back. I quickly returned him to the Digivice as that was the most effective way of hiding him.

We watched and waited. It wasn't long before a humanoid figure emerged from the cave. Just as described, he was clad in green, wearing a hat with a large brim. Aside from his outfit looking a bit worn, there wasn't anything especially remarkable about him. Underneath the hat was what appeared to be a normal, everyday human.

"That's him alright," Rinkmon whispered, "no doubt about it."

Kaze looked around as he stood by the cave entrance. The coast appearing to be clear, he then retreated back inside.

Just after he re-entered the cave, my Digivice started bleeping. I could see Greymon inside, tapping something in front of him, which then showed me Thoma's face on screen.

" _Steven, we've been ambushed! Where are you right now?"_

"What? Oh, great. Well, you're not gonna believe what I'm about to tell you."

" _... Wait, don't tell me you-!"_

"Yup. We've found them."

" _Seriously?!"_ Georgie could be heard in the background.

" _Master, I will take them out as quickly as I can!"_ I saw MachGaogamon take off into the air. Thoma and Georgie were surrounded by a bunch of bronze, mechanoid looking Digimon: Guardromon. By the looks of it, there were a _lot_ of them.

" _WINNING KNUCKLE!"_ MachGaogamon flew back down at an insane speed, punching the ground and sending a shockwave that swept all the Guardromon off their feet. He then began circling around, punching them all one by one.

"Hang tight, we'll get there as soon as we can!"

Digivice bleeping again. Greymon presses something. This time it's Sora who pops up.

" _Ste-kun! Thoma-san! Anyone!"_

"What's going on?"

" _We're under attack!"_

" _You too?!"_ Thoma asked, " _Damn it… were the Hackers onto us this whole time?"_

" _They're shooting at us from below,"_ said Victoria, " _Birdramon, get Sora to safety!"_

" _I'm doing the best I ca - wait, what?!"_ Birdramon screeched.

" _Vicky-chan?"_ Sora gasped, " _What are you…?"_

" _This won't take long,"_ Victoria was then engulfed in a purple flame of Digisoul… wait, when did she learn to do that?

" _I'm ready when you are!"_ Samanomon exclaimed with glee.

" _Okay,"_ Victoria then - holy crap! She just jumped off Birdramon's foot!

" _Vicky-chan! VICKY-CHAAAN!"_ Sora cried, watching as Victoria started freefalling. I could vaguely make out a flash of light, where Samanomon Digivolved to his Ultimate stage.

"… _They've landed safely!"_ Sora confirmed, sighing with relief, " _Ste-kun, are you alright?"_

"We've found Gigimon."

" _Thank goodness! We'll join you as soon as we can. Birdramon, we need to get down there and help-"_

" _No, you stay put. Save your strength,"_ Victoria's face appeared, as my Digivice screen became even more crowded, " _If Birdramon's downed, we're gonna be stuck here."_

On Victoria's portion of the screen, I could see an armoured blue demon samurai, now without a helmet, and with long, white hair standing before her. He wielded a deadlier looking katana surrounded by icy blue flames, and wore an arrow pouch on his back. Standing before him was a trio of MetalMamemon: small, bean-like robots armed with claws on one hand and a cannon on the other.

" _Onimon, take them out!"_

" _At once,"_ Onimon readied his sword, preparing to take these guys on.

Not to be confused with Omnimon, by the way.

Well, anyway, we'd better get this done quick.

"Rinkmon, is there any chance you could run in there and grab him?" I asked.

Rinkmon wasn't responding. That nervous sweat appeared on his helmet again. His eyes were wide open as he struggled to breath.

"Er… Rinkmon? What's gotten into you?"

"What… what's happening to me…?"

"…Rinkmon?"

"Steven! Get away from me! NOW!" He suddenly grabbed me and threw me into a nearby tree - _ARGH!_ My back!

A small Digimon could then be heard growling from outside the cave entrance on the other side of the river; Gigimon. He looked like a baby version of Guilmon, except he was basically a head with a tail and tiny, stubby legs. Kaze ran out the cave after him, stopping dead as we suddenly made eye contact. Crap, we've been spotted.

"Rinkmon! What the hell are you thinking of-?!"

I then happened to see that cosplaying Emperor guy somewhere in the background. That same old school bully who… oh. _Shit._

Normally I'd be triggered by his very presence, but it didn't take long to figure out what he was doing here. He then disappeared just as Rinkmon was slowly succumbing to the effects of the Dark Drill that was already in his DigiCore.

"RINKMON! NO!" Greymon emerged from my Digivice, protecting me from whatever he was about to become.

Gigimon continued snarling, as he would when infected Digimon are nearby. Kaze tried and struggled to restrain him, and it was then that I happened to notice that Gigimon didn't have that hazard marking anywhere on his body. Not that I had much time to think about it more than that.

"Steven…" Rinkmon spoke his last words, "It's… too bad we didn't meet sooner… you're the coolest person I ever met. It's been real - _AAAA̛A͏U̡҉U̶̶҉̵̛U̡͞A̶̶̧̛A҉͡A͏͡҉͟A͟͜R̷̵̸͢R̷͘҉R̶̛G͘G̡͟H̶̨̡̡͠H̵̕͜͡H҉̶!̴̶͞͞͞"_

" _Ste-kun! What's happening?"_

"Sora, it's Rinkmon… they got him."

"… _No!"_

He then glowed in a dark aura, as he began Digivolving. Soon emerged a black, draconic cyborg clad in rubber-like armour and with dark red wings on his back; Cyberdramon.

Here comes that feeling again. That crazy adrenaline rush. I'm engulfed in that raging red flame of Digisoul as I then touch my Digivice.

" _Greymon, Digivolve to… METALGREYMON!"_ The blue one again.

…

They're going to pay for this.

MetalGreymon charged straight ahead, but Cyberdramon jumped out of the way before kicking him in the face. He then began slashing MetalGreymon with his claws.

"You _monster!_ " Kaze yelled from across the river.

I glanced his way. Turns out he was screaming at _me_.

"All you humans ever do is stand and watch as you force your Digimon to fight!"

Er, what?

"I won't stand by while you use them as slaves… no more! Your 'fun' ends here, human!"

Oh, boy.

You picked a _really_ bad time to push my berserk buttons.

Kaze ran straight at me. I could feel my blood continuing to boil.

He pulled his arm back, getting ready to punch me.

I don't know what it was, maybe it was that fight-or-flight feeling again. But something inside me clicked as he happened to give me a brief window of opportunity to backhand him around the face, knocking him to the ground.

"Fun?" I asked, "You think I do this for _fun?_ "

Kaze's expression changed as he noticed me angrily glaring back at him, clenching my fists.

"If MetalGreymon's my _slave_ , then what on earth does that make _me?_ Whose slave am I? Who's this faceless entity that's dragged me away from my ordinary life, ordering me around at their convenience? I have enough crap to deal with _without_ any of this, but no! Day after day after day, I'm having to come here, putting _everything_ on the line as I fight against big scary monsters that could eat me alive! Isn't that _fun!_ "

"You say that, human… but you don't fight them yourself-"

"Then who provided this Greymon here with the power to evolve to a stronger form? Oh, wait, that was _me!_ Yes, I'm somehow using this little plastic object to share _my own energy_ with him so that he can fight the bad guys! But I can only make him evolve under set conditions! And getting him to his strongest forms is bloody _hard!_ And if I can't do that? We're screwed! Being a 'DigiDestined' is so much _fun_ , by the way!"

MetalGreymon was struggling against Cyberdramon. He avoided a wave beam attack that then destroyed - or rather, erased - part of the wall of the cave Kaze was hiding in before.

"And it's not just me who's having to deal with all this crap, either. One of my teammates is employed by a useless bunch of bureaucrats who won't even fill _him_ in on anything! Another, like me, has been pulled away from her ordinary life, and is being made to hang around with a bunch of strangers she barely knows. Another is my own little brother, one of the last people I _ever_ wanted involved in all this. And my other teammate has already had it _worse_ than me, being dragged here against her will, and then watching her home being invaded by an army of evil Digimon! And if _that_ wasn't enough? She's _now_ been made to move far away from home, to the other side of the world, away from all her friends and family, just to help _me_ out! How messed up is that?!"

"…"

"Oh, I've made some friends here, too. Like my partner Digimon, who's fighting to protect me-"

" _Protect_ you?" Kaze interrupted my rant, "How _dare_ you! You've never had your 'friends' die for your-"

"Oh, by the way, yes I have! I just had to watch my good buddy Rinkmon here die before my eyes as his DigiCore was destroyed by a sharp, pointy object that's turned his dead remains into a remote controlled weapon! Have you ever had to fight the corpses of your dead friends, as they try to tear your partner Digimon limb from limb? And all this, because the Hackers that did this to him have painted a bullseye on my back, because I happen to own a Digivice that's ' _legendary'_ or somesuch. And the best part? Nobody will tell me why! Despite everything I have to put up with, I'm being kept in the dark for no reason! And to top it all off, I now have _you_ picking a fight with me, because I'm somehow in the fucking wrong."

Kaze gritted his teeth.

"So, tell me, you self-righteous prick. Does that sound like _fun_ to you?"

"… Tch."

Whew. I think that just about covered everything. I needed that.

"Now, go. Get outta here already," I said, "unless you want to end up dying, too."

"I… can't do that."

"Why not?"

"I mustn't leave them behind."

"Steven," Gigimon pointed at the cave, "there are other Digimon in there."

…What?!

" _MEGA CLAW!"_ MetalGreymon launched his tethered claw from his arm, attempting to wrap it around Cyberdramon. But he wasn't quick enough, and Cyberdramon slashed the tether with his claws, effectively removing it from MetalGreymon entirely. Disarmed - no pun intended - MetalGreymon was then slammed against the outer cave wall. Several In-Training Digimon could then be seen, screaming as they fled for their lives from the cave entrance.

"All this talk about Digimon dying for our sake, and you've gone and put their lives in danger!"

"Me?!" Kaze retorted, "You're the one who brought your fight here!"

"Maybe if you hadn't swiped my brother's partner in the first place, we wouldn't be in this mess! Way to go, knucklehead!"

MetalGreymon breathed a stream of blue flames from his mouth, but any damage it did to Cyberdramon was minimal at best, and it didn't stop him from beating MetalGreymon to a pulp. Cyberdramon then jumped back, and began charging his wave beam attack.

"Then perhaps I should be the one to set things right." Suddenly, Kaze ran into the fray. His arm glowed in a green aura of… wait, is that Digisoul? Well, anyway, a freakin' _staff_ then appeared in his hand, which he used to pierce Cyberdramon in the chest.

I watched, completely astonished, as he ended the fight.

"I've never had to use my power to destroy a Digimon before," Kaze gazed up, watching as Cyberdramon's data particles floated up into the sky and disappeared forever, "And I wish I never had to. But… at least your friend is at peace, now."

"You didn't kill him. He was already dead."

"That doesn't make it any better, human. It doesn't change the fact that I've destroyed one of the inhabitants of this world with my own hands."

"..."

"I've seen your resolve, and now I have a clearer understanding of why you're here. However, I still don't completely trust you. I'll be keeping my eye on you, to make sure that you stay true to your words."

He then leapt atop a nearby tree, "If I ever see you making your Digimon suffer, I won't be soft on you next time. For now… farewell." And then he dashed away, out of sight.

Sooner or later, the others made it out the battles they were in and met up with me by that cave. Georgie was reunited with Gigimon. Arrangements were made for the stolen Digimon to be returned to their respective Primary Villages. Job done, I guess.

Exhausted, and fed up, I then returned to Sora's apartment with her.

"Are you alright?" She asked, picking up on my low mood.

"I'll manage."

There was silence between us for a moment. It was only yesterday when we befriended Rinkmon, and now he's dead.

She looked somewhat uncomfortable as something else was on her mind.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Sorry. It's just that you surprised me earlier. The way you were yelling at Kaze."

"… Oh. Right. That video call was still going," I scratched my head, "You heard it all, then?"

"We all did."

Normally this is the kind of thing I'd get very embarrassed about, but my mind was so preoccupied by Rinkmon's death that I almost forgot about my earlier rant.

Sora looked like she had more she wanted to say, but perhaps thought better of it.

"I guess… even I have limits," I muttered.

While it felt good to get all that stuff off my chest? In doing so, I may have exposed one of my biggest weaknesses; I have an awful habit of bottling things up. Normally I keep myself calm and level-headed and have it under control as much as I reasonably can - or, perhaps, I'm trying too hard not to let my pent-up anger and frustrations get the better of me. But the more and more it builds up, the harder it gets to keep my cool. Sooner or later I'll snap, lashing out at whoever was unfortunate enough to push me past my breaking point - like with Kaze today.

With everything that's been going on, I was going to have to blow steam sooner or later. But, truth be told, "I don't know how much more of this crap I can take."

… Wait, did I say that out loud?

"Ste-kun."

Suddenly, Sora grabbed me by the shoulders, giving me a piercing gaze. She had this look of determination in her eyes; she was stronger than me. Much stronger. She _had_ to be, after being involved in all this for more than a decade. There I was hating myself after watching an innocent bystander get killed, but she's surely experienced many more horrors and hardships than I could ever imagine.

I don't know what I was expecting from her then. Maybe a stern talking-to at most. But she saw how dejected I was. She briefly averted her gaze, as if silently contemplating her next step. And then after a moment, she pulled me in for a hug. I was not prepared for that.

"I know it's hard. I know what it's like… to want to run away from it all. To lose all hope. I understand how you feel. But please, don't give up. Don't give in to your despair."

Wha-?! Well, that's not what I meant, but-

"Me, DemiGreymon, and the others. We need you more than you realise. We're all here to help. No… we're all in this _together._ And I'm here to listen if anything's troubling you, okay?"

"I-I'll bear that in mind."

I briefly wondered whether I was supposed to return her hug - but after a moment, she let go. She then held out her pinky finger.

"... Oh, er, okay," and then I did the same. She wrapped hers around mine before shaking my hand.

"Yakusoku!" she smiled.

"What does that mean?"

"A promise."

Oh. _Doi._

Before long, I made my leave.

As I did the usual walk back to the station, I was absentmindedly staring at the finger Sora just shook.

Yakusoku… I'll have to remember that one, I thought to myself.

"What's up?" DemiGreymon asked from the Digivice.

"Hm?"

"Your face is bright red."

Wait, how did he - aw, geez.

Yeah, that's not surprising. Sora just hugged me. I know I shouldn't read too much into it, but-

"Y'know, I'm sick of all this too," he said, "especially the whole 'nobody telling us anything'… thing."

"Right. Then when the time comes, when we finally meet whoever's pulling the strings… we'll need to do something about it already," I looked straight at him through the Digivice.

"What are you thinking of?"

"Between DATS and the Hackers… they all seem awfully _keen_ about this thing, don't they?"

"You're right!"

"I have an idea. But, I'm only going through with it if you absolutely agree with it."

He thought for a moment, perhaps getting a vague hint at what I was implying.

"Well, we're partners, right? Whatever it is, I'm with you all the way," He nodded, "And if that's what it takes to wring some answers outta them, then count me in!"

As for the details of this 'idea' we discussed?

You'll find out eventually.

 **つづく**


	12. Episode 11: Struggle

It was time to pay tribute to a fallen hero.

The day after _that_ happened, when the Hackers destroyed Rinkmon's DigiCore and turned him into Cyberdramon… well, me and DemiGreymon returned to that same spot again.

Rinkmon helped us out in our search for Gigimon, and even saved my life right before he was forced to evolve and fight us to the death. I felt nothing but regret for him getting caught up in all this. He's dead because of me. Because I wasn't paying attention to our surroundings. I had to do something for him.

DemiGreymon was piling up a mound of dirt by a tree, while I began materialising a certain object from my Digivice. After discovering a while back that it can't make food appear for DemiGreymon in the real world, I happened to learn by accident that it's able to scan static real world objects and reproduce them in digital form.

"So, you've returned," said a familiar voice.

I looked up to see Kaze, standing atop a tree branch.

"Oh. Hey," I greeted him, as he leapt down from the tree.

"You humans can produce weapons too?" He asked, noticing the ice hockey stick that finished forming in my hand.

"… What, this?" I pointed at it, "Oh. No. Nonononono. You've got the wrong idea, mate."

"So what is it? For what purpose did you bring it here?"

"It's used for a game we play in the real world. Rinkmon was a big fan, you see, and-"

"You mean the _human_ world?"

I raised an eyebrow.

"Are you implying that this world, and the beings that inhabit it, are not real?"

"… Er, no?"

"So why is _your_ world the _real_ one?"

"Yeah, look, I think you're reading too much into it. Believe me, I'm already convinced that everything I see here is real."

Kaze folded his arms.

"If anything, ' _the human world'_ just sounds weird to me. As much as we're kind of the dominant species, we're not the only things living there. Heck, ' _the real world'_ isn't even its name. I'm just going with what everyone else says." Because it's easier, and because I'm lazy.

"What are you getting at?"

"Well, think about how many Greymons there are here. Now, imagine if I came here and started calling it ' _the Greymon World'_."

"You won't hear _me_ complaining!" DemiGreymon laughed.

Kaze glanced at the dinosaur, watching as he continued to pile up dirt by the tree.

"Anyway," getting back to the original point of the conversation, "how the heck did you _do_ that?!" You may recall the staff he magicked out of his hand and used to defeat Cyberdramon yesterday.

"It's a skill an old friend taught me, long ago. In the event that I need to defend myself, or any Digimon that are in harm's way."

"Wizardmon, by any chance?"

"How did you know?"

"Jean-Luc told us about him. Or, rather, about the bond you shared. And how he, uh…" Yeah, maybe _don't_ bring up Wizardmon sacrificing himself to protect Kaze from a rampaging Digimon. Touchy subject.

"I see. So you understand my point of view, then."

"Well, yeah. And that's why I have this with me today."

"What are you doing with it?"

DemiGreymon finished his task, looking at me before I answered Kaze's question.

"We're making a grave."

"A… grave?" Kaze asked.

"In our world, it's how we pay our respects to the dead."

Silence filled the air for a moment.

"Something's been bothering me, since you brought it up yesterday."

"Yeah?"

"When you said his DigiCore was destroyed, and he was already dead… what, exactly, did you mean by that?"

"Firstly, do you know what… _normally_ happens, when a Digimon dies?" I asked.

"Do you?"

"Well, no. That's why I'm asking."

"It's… not something I'm especially comfortable talking about."

DemiGreymon explained, "Our DigiCores go somewhere, get reconfigured into new eggs, and are then sent to Primary Villages so we can start life all over again! But we don't always keep the memories of our past li-"

I quickly glared at him, prompting him to stop talking. Kaze lowered his head, his hat no doubt hiding the grief he was showing.

I hadn't thought much of it before, but it made me wonder how often Digimon retain their memories, or if only partner Digimon get that privilege. I guess for those who aren't able to, their death is essentially the end of their current self. So even if Wizardmon _has_ been reborn, he probably won't be the same Wizardmon that Kaze knew. He might even be a totally different Digimon.

Kaze asked, "So when you say the Core has been destroyed…?"

"It's a tool the Hackers use. The Dark Drill. It deletes and replaces it altogether, so that they can take control of the Digimon's body. But as soon as that happens, there's no saving them. The Core is gone. No… the _Digimon_ is gone. Forever."

"Not even their-?"

"Nope. _Nothing._ "

He glared angrily as I told him that. But he also noticed as I clenched my fists, feeling the same way.

"That tool you're holding," he asked, "you say it's used for playing a game with? So…"

"Like I said, he was a big fan. I couldn't think of a better way to send him off. Wherever he is… he might want one of these," I then plunged the hockey stick, handle first, into the mound of dirt that DemiGreymon made.

And that was Rinkmon's grave.

Kaze watched with interest, as I then took off my hat and held it in front of my chest. DemiGreymon stood by my side, mimicking the gesture I was making.

I silently made a vow to Rinkmon as I stood before his grave. I made a certain promise to Sora last night, and so I did the same here. I vowed to never stop, and never give up, until the Hackers are gone… until no one has to suffer the way he and countless others did.

Though, I'll admit, I wondered if I'd even be able to keep such a promise.

It looked like Kaze was about to join us, before…

"WHO'S THERE?!" He yelled, in response to some rustling in the bushes behind us.

I jumped in surprise at his sudden shouting, and saw that he materialised his staff again.

"SHOW YOURSELF!" He yelled again. But this only prompted whoever it was to run away instead. Their footsteps could be heard, before glowing particles could be seen floating into a rectangle in the sky.

Wait, was that one of the others? It was hard to tell; I couldn't see what colour the particles were as the sun just happened to be right in that spot of the sky.

"They're gone," I stated the obvious, watching as the rectangle then faded.

"Who was that?" DemiGreymon asked, "I wonder what they were doing here?"

"Beats me." Well, no use pointing fingers. But I had a weird gut feeling telling me who it _might_ have been.

"Hm," Kaze dematerialised his staff.

"Well, I guess we're done here. Time for us to head back too. Oh, and before I forget," I turned to Kaze, "sorry, for hitting you yesterday."

Kaze blinked, "You seem a lot different than you were then, human."

Yeah, I guess an angry outburst doesn't make for the best first impression.

"Name's Steven, by the way," I offered a handshake, instead receiving a confused stare, "…Well, y'know, this is what I'm normally like. You won't see that angry side of me too often. Hopefully."

"I see," he then turned to the grave we made for Rinkmon, "It still pains me that I had to destroy him. I don't deserve to stand before this… grave."

"Well, it was either that or none of us would be standing here right now. And you even saved the lives of those baby Digimon you kidnapped-"

"I didn't _kidnap_ them," he retorted, "I was trying to _rescue_ them."

Technically, kidnapping them is _exactly_ what you did.

… But I didn't have the energy to argue over the matter.

"Either way, you did the right thing."

"By the way Steven, you forgot something else!" DemiGreymon dissolved into particles and went inside the Digivice.

"… Wait, did I?"

Out of the Digivice screen then came another object that I scanned earlier. A thick rubber disk, decorated with that non-specific team emblem with the duck-shaped mask.

"So I did. Well, Kaze," I handed him the hockey puck, "if you want to pay your respects, then feel free to leave this here."

"Thank you," he took it off me, "I will."

* * *

 **Digimon Re:Link, Episode 11:** " **Struggle"**

A few days passed before we returned to action. The Hackers were set to invade a city to the east of the German Region, and I guess since we just happened to be in the area, this meant us being sent to fight them off.

The city appeared to be modelled after real world Berlin. Actually, I think there was a bit of Hamburg in there too. It looked like winter had started early, and the whole place was covered in snow and ice. I'm pretty sure there wasn't any of this before we entered the city, in fact it appeared to be isolated specifically to this area. I guess that had something to do with it largely being populated by icy Digimon. Either that or it was another classic case of Digital World Weirdness™.

"Another Legendary Spirit is located in this city," Thoma projected a hologram from his Digivice, of what appeared to be a teddy bear shaped snowman donning green armour parts, "The Human Spirit of Ice."

"Human Spirit?" I echoed.

"The other category of Legendary Spirit, granting the user a humanoid Digimon form. Its power doesn't quite compare to a Beast Spirit; however, it is much easier for its user to control."

"But we still can't use them?" Georgie asked.

"No."

"Bollocks."

"I understand your urge to fight, but the worst thing you could do is put yourself in danger. If something happens to you then your Digimon in turn will, at best, be incapacitated."

Yeah, seriously bro, _please_ don't do that. I already regret your involvement enough as is.

"After what happened last time," Victoria asked, "can we assume this Spirit isn't their objective?"

"Given what the Spirits are capable of, we can't rule that out entirely. Perhaps their sole intent is a display of power again."

I glanced at Sora, who was absentmindedly looking around. She seemed a bit melancholy. I wondered if she too was still feeling down after what happened with Rinkmon.

"Say, Thoma?" I asked, "By any chance, does DATS… y'know, actually have any teams besides us?"

After a pause, he replied, "That's classified information."

Of _course_ it is, I thought to myself as I let out an exasperated huff and rolled my eyes.

"However, there is one detail I can confirm for you, regarding the European branch."

"Oh, really? What's that?"

"You said it best yourself," he smirked, "they're a useless bunch of bureaucrats."

I'm _never_ gonna live that down, am I?

"And you'll be pleased to know that the British division, in particular, is even worse. Perhaps I'm being too harsh as it was only recently formed, but in its current state it may as well be run by headless chickens."

…That doesn't surprise me one bit.

"I realise I'm going off on a tangent here, but it's okay to get angry now and then," Victoria suddenly said, "it's not healthy to bottle up your emotions like that."

It was tough to admit, but she was absolutely right. Even so, it remains a bad habit of mine.

I then happened to glance at Sora again. She was still looking around at nothing in particular.

"Sora?" I asked, "Everything alright?"

"… Eh?"

"You haven't said a word since we got here," Victoria added, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"… Oh, don't mind me. I'm fine," Sora smiled.

"If you say so."

It seems the two girls are on more friendly terms now. For as much as I regret what happened the other day, at least my 'cunning plan' appeared to have worked.

"Anyway," Victoria asked, "Is there anyone of importance we need to get in contact with?"

"This city uses the Spirit very differently to the Greymon Valley," Thoma explained, "Here, it's mainly used by local law enforcement. They've cooperated with DATS in the past, and I suspect we'll do the same today. But to my knowledge there aren't any notable figureheads we need to-"

"You there! Humans! What are you doing?!" A Digimon called as she leapt down from a building. She was a Crescemon - a helmeted, pink rabbit-like creature, wearing blue and silver armour with a moon motif. She was armed with some kind of crescent-shaped axe in her right hand, and a shield on her left arm, "The attackers will be here at any minute! You should get to safety, now!"

"It's alright, we're well aware of the situation," Thoma replied.

"After all, that's what we're here to deal with," Victoria added, as our Digimon emerged from their respective Digivices.

"Ah, you must be the humans from DATS," Crescemon coughed, "My apologies. I'm Chief of Security around these parts, so I guess we'll be working together today."

Well, technically we're not _all_ from DATS, but…

"But no time for formalities," Crescemon warned as she looked back down the street, "we've got company."

Further down the road, more Digimon appeared. Sadly, they weren't friendlies this time. Up in the sky was a Megadramon; a red, serpent-like dragon with a metallic helmet, claws with built-in missile launchers, and tattered, purple wings, Basically, it was MetalGreymon with no legs.

Below it on the ground was a SkullMeramon; despite the name, there wasn't really anything 'skull' about him aside from the boots and trousers giving him a very goth rocker-ish look. He was a large humanoid figure with blue hair, a big metal mask concealing his face, chains wrapped around his arms and torso, and blue flames covering his whole body.

"DeathMeramon," Sora quivered, as she grit her teeth.

Y'know what? That name makes more sense. I'mma stick with that.

Before them was an army of what resembled a part cyborg, blue-green camouflaged version of Agumon, dressed in dark military uniforms complete with helmets, backpacks, pouches, gloves, the whole lot. There was something oddly endearing about them, except the part where they were armed with assault rifles.

"Commandramon," Thoma frowned.

"Why would they send an army of Rookies after us?" Victoria asked

"Don't underestimate them. In fact, we'll need to get rid of them first."

Going by Thoma's reaction, I could only assume that there was more to these gun-toting dinosaurs than meets the eye.

"Commander Crescemon!" A white, humanoid lion-like creature donning a blue cape called as he leapt down from the same building, "He's on his way!"

"Right on cue. Thank you, Panjyamon," Crescemon then glanced at us, "You guys should use this chance to Digivolve your partners."

"Understood," Thoma nodded, "Everyone to your Ultimate forms, if you can."

"I'll save my energy for later," Victoria lit her hand up with a violet flame.

"Suit yourself," Thoma shrugged as he engulfed himself in blue flames.

Georgie's golden yellow Digisoul also engulfed his body like a raging fire. I still wasn't sure how he was able to master it so quickly while I've struggled this whole time, only being able to activate it in super life-threatening situations. I let out another exasperated huff as only my hand lit up in a red flame.

Oddly, Sora also wasn't fully charging her Digisoul.

"I'm still getting used to this," she smiled, nervously.

Er, wait, hang on. You were managing just fine over summer. So, why… ?

"That's okay," Victoria returned a reassuring smile, "Just go at your own pace."

Me and Georgie exchanged glances. Perhaps he too was wondering when they got this friendly with each other.

Just then, the ground began to rumble. Not like an earthquake, but rather the footsteps of another large Digimon racing onto the scene. I wondered if this was going to be yet another one the Hackers sent, but then I happened to notice the lead Commandramon looking around as if wondering where it was coming from.

Soon, the source appeared; a large, wooly mammoth-like creature with a metal mask covering its face and trunk - a Mammothmon - raced onto the scene, ploughing through and trampling over a load of them.

"OK, now!" Thoma commanded, as we transferred our energy to our Digivices.

" _Guilmon, Warp Digivolve to… WARGROWLMON!"_

" _Samanomon, Digivolve to… SAMUMON!"_

" _Gaomon, warp shinka! MACHGAOGAMON!"_

" _Piyomon, shinka! BIRDRAMON!"_

" _DemiGreymon, Digivolve to… GREYMON!"_

The remaining members of the Commandramon brigade charged towards us. Our Digimon all ran into the fray with Birdramon flying overhead - before Samumon dashed ahead of the others and sliced through a whole bunch of them in the blink of an eye, apparently without any of them noticing before they were deleted.

"I may be in my element here," he boasted, "but we don't take kindly to your frosty reception."

"Samumon, this is no time for puns!" WarGrowlmon snarled as he, Greymon, and MachGaogamon continued ahead of him.

"W-Wait, what? That was a pun? I made a pun?"

"Nevermind that and keep going!" Victoria yelled.

"… A-At once, my lady!" He then dashed off to rejoin the others.

As our Digimon began wiping the floor with all these Commandramon, Mammothmon rammed straight into DeathMeramon. The two were locked in combat as the mammoth looked like he was trying to drive him out of the city.

Birdramon flapped her wings, preparing her attack to aid the others on the ground, " _METEOR WI-"_

But then she was interrupted by Megadramon, who suddenly flew in her direction. It dragged one of its metallic claws through the buildings on its way, and she had to quickly maneuver out the way. Crescemon and Panjyamon shielded us as chunks of concrete smashed to the ground, sending dirt and debris everywhere before it all dissolved into data particles. That would've been a great time to have a pair of goggles, but alas, I still didn't have any.

Sora watched, helpless and frustrated as for whatever reason she wasn't able to make her partner evolve into Garudamon. I mean, I get _me_ not being able to, but…

"I'll handle this!" Crescemon leapt atop the mostly-destroyed building, before combining her axe and shield into a vaguely crossbow-like formation, " _ICE ARCHERY!"_ and then from that she began firing ice arrows at Megadramon, who was able to avoid nearly all of them as it swept back around.

Megadramon was headed straight for a collision course with Crescemon, before…

" _YUKI HANABI!"_ A large, icy axe materialised in Panjyamon's hand as he leapt up high. He was aiming to slice Megadramon in half, but it managed to dodge the axe at the last second, rolling in mid-air as it narrowly missed Crescemon and began circling around for another attack.

As it flew back around, Crescemon took aim with her crossbow formation again, and then with a well-aimed, well-timed shot of another ice arrow, took out one of Megadramon's eyes. The dragon didn't react, being a remote-controlled weapon and everything, but it did manage to crash straight through a building, getting itself stuck.

"I'll move in and finish it," Crescemon turned to Panjyamon, "you stay here and protect the humans!"

"Understood!" Panjyamon acknowledged Crescemon's command as she dashed off.

I looked back down the other end of the street to see our Digimon were still mopping the floor with all those Commandramon. It seemed like there was no end to them, and yet, they weren't having much trouble. Mammothmon was still locked in combat with DeathMeramon, but neither of them were budging.

"This is almost _too_ easy," WarGrowlmon whacked one of the reptilian soldiers into a building.

"I agree," Samumon swung his katana upwards; the Commandramon before him showing no sign of resistance before it was sliced in half, "They're hardly putting up a fight."

"Something's not right here," MachGaogamon effortlessly kicked another one away.

Greymon whacked several aside with his tail, before glancing back in our direction. His jaw hung open as he saw something in the sky behind us.

Megadramon had survived the crash, and was now way up in the sky aiming its missile launchers right at us. Greymon started running back over and Birdramon dove down.

"SORA!" Birdramon screeched, before landing on the ground and shielding us all with her wings as Megadramon fired a pair of missiles.

"BIRDRAMON!" Sora clung to her partner. For all she knew, this could've been it.

If I'm being totally honest, this all happened so fast that I don't even remember what I was feeling in the moment.

" _HYOUJŪKEN!"_ Panjyamon did an attack. I couldn't see it, so I don't know what it looked like.

" _NOVA FLAME!"_ Greymon joined him as, I presume, he shot a fireball at one of the missiles.

We heard loud, deafening explosions as the missiles were destroyed.

As Birdramon lifted her wings, we watched as Crescemon finished Megadramon off in the distance, shredding it to pieces with her axe.

"That's one down," Panjyamon turned back around - before being smacked in the head by a certain large, wooly mammoth that was flung our way. Panjyamon was out cold.

Sora watched in horror as Mammothmon's lifeless body then smashed into the snow-covered streets, before dissolving into particles.

"… And that's two down for us," Thoma looked back towards the main battle. MachGaogamon and WarGrowlmon were now moving in to fight DeathMeramon as Samumon continued slicing through hordes of Commandramon.

The two Ultimates rushed in to take on the flaming humanoid, but without much effort he managed to avoid a punch from MachGaogamon before grabbing him by the throat. WarGrowlmon tried slashing him with one of his huge blade arms, but he too missed and was then grabbed by the tail. MachGaogamon struggled to break free from DeathMeramon's grip while WarGrowlmon was being flailed around in the air.

"Time to level up," Victoria charged her Digisoul, engulfing herself in a violet flame-like aura, "Samumon, fall back!"

"At once, my lady!" Samumon sheathed his katana, before backflipping high up in the air, and then preparing another technique as he gathered a sphere of icy cold water in his hands, " _CRITICAL SHOT!"_ he then threw this down at the Commandramon. As he effortlessly landed on the ground in front of us, we then watched as his projectile splashed on impact and swept a load of them away like a mini tidal wave.

"Showoff," Greymon snorted.

"Steven, Sora, are you ready?" Victoria asked.

"If I was, I would've done that already," I grumbled.

"I'll try, but I'm not sure if I can yet," Sora glanced at Birdramon.

"It's alright, Sora," Birdramon nodded, "don't push yourself."

"Very well," Victoria transferred her energy to the Digivice, and out shot a powerful beam of light at Samumon, who was then engulfed in the usual egg-shaped energy sphere.

" _Samumon, Digivolve to… ONIMON!"_ The slightly taller warrior emerged from the light. Now that I got a better look at him, he had much more armour than before, but had apparently discarded the helmet in favour of some kind of demonic looking mask that left only his eyes and mouth visible. Somehow, he seemed much more intimidating than before.

"This won't take long," Onimon pulled out a pair of arrows from the pouch on his back. A bow appeared in his other hand, and he began taking aim at our enemy, " _Ice Arrow,"_ and then quietly announced his technique as he shot one of them at DeathMeramon, snagging him straight in the eye. Like Megadramon he didn't react much, but he looked around to see where it came from - only to get shot again in the other eye. Blinded, he suddenly let go of his captives, and then began looking around as if mildly puzzled and wondering why he couldn't see anymore.

" _WINNING KNUCKLE!"_ With a powerful uppercut from MachGaogamon, the fiery humanoid was then sent flying in the air.

" _ATOMIC BLASTER!"_ And then WarGrowlmon finished him off, atomising DeathMeramon with laser beams from his chest cannons.

"Nice one!" Georgie pumped his fist, "Now we just gotta get rid of this lot!"

" _Did you really think it would be that easy?"_ a voice could be heard. A vaguely menacing and evil voice. We looked around to find the source, but soon enough it didn't matter anymore.

The remaining Commandramon all glared in our direction. And then they began glowing. They began _Digivolving._ Most of them evolved into a taller armoured cyborg armed with a knife, while one of the others jumped straight to the next stage of that and became some kind of dragon tank thing that was armed to the freakin' teeth and then some. Sealsdramon and Tankdramon, respectively.

Sora began charging her Digisoul.

MachGaogamon and WarGrowlmon engaged these newly evolved enemies. Onimon's bow vanished as he then unsheathed his katana and charged ahead. Greymon and Birdramon remained at our side, guarding us from whatever was going to come our way.

"Sora?" Victoria asked.

I was frantically looking around as the battle continued to rage on. I needed to make Greymon evolve, urgently, and yet I was still having a hard time getting to the point where I could make it happen.

"Sora? What's wrong?!"

Despite it all, nothing was quite pushing me to that much-needed fight-or-flight adrenaline rush. At least, not until -

"SORA?!" Georgie shouted, "What the fu-?!"

She'd collapsed.

 _Wh… what? What the hell? She was fine just a moment ago! What the… why… how… ?!_

That's what was on my mind in the moment, at least. In hindsight, I should have paid more attention to the early warning signs.

"SORA!" Birdramon de-evolved back to Piyomon and landed by her side, "Get up! Say something!"

"… I…" Sora responded, weakly, as Thoma and Georgie helped her up while I watched like a dumbstruck idiot.

She looked pale.

Thoma laid her down on his knees, and began checking on her condition.

And there it was; that feeling of panic set me off and I was engulfed in red flames of Digisoul again. Without a second thought, I powered up my partner, knowing full well that he was gonna need it.

" _Greymon, Digivolve to… METALGREYMON!"_ Blue version again.

After going over Sora's temperature and her breathing, Thoma then asked, "Senpai, can you move your arm?"

Sora tried, but she struggled to lift it before her arm flopped back down.

Thoma shook his head, "That's all I can do for now. If I had my first aid equipment I could give her a proper checkup. Fortunately, she doesn't appear to have caught a virus here."

"S… so what's wrong with her?" I asked.

"Do you remember what I told you about before? About Digivolution being more strenuous at higher levels? She's overexerted herself. But somehow, she was already exhausted, even before attempting that evolution."

…What? How? Why? Surely, she shouldn't be any worse off than the right of us… right?

"Sora…" Piyomon's eyes welled up, "You… you shouldn't have…"

"Steven," Victoria turned to me, "Take her home, now!"

Thoma and Georgie helped Sora back up. They then carefully handed her over as she then slumped into me. Piyomon held her partner's hand. I then pointed my Digivice up at the sky as I held onto Sora.

I exchanged glances with MetalGreymon. It would only be for a little while, but, for the first time, I was leaving the Digital World without him.

"I'll be fine," he gave me a firm nod, before charging into battle, "Now go! Get her outta here!"

I then pressed the button on the Digivice, and after a brief flash of light we were back in her room.

"S-Ste-kun…"

"It's okay, you're safe now," I sat her down on the bed. Piyomon placed her wing behind Sora as she laid down.

It was cold in here, so I turned the heater on. No doubt she'd need that after standing around in that icy cold city. And face planting into the snow.

"Piyomon, what's going on? Why's she in this state?"

The bird shook her head, "Sora hasn't been sleeping much lately."

"… Oh, right. So what's been keeping you u-?!"

Sora's stomach rumbled. She shot up, covering it with her arms as her face turned bright red.

"… She hasn't eaten much either," Piyomon sighed.

"Er… r-right, then. We should do something about that. Let's see what you've got in the kitchen."

"Wait," Sora protested, "D… don't go in there…"

"Well you need to eat, right?" I walked out the room, and then to the tiny kitchen shared with her two flatmates who apparently weren't in today.

I opened the door. And it was then that I received a grim reminder of why I stopped living on campus.

The kitchen was, not to put too fine a point on it, a goddamn mess. The first thing I noticed was a nasty stench from the overflowing bin. My eyes were then drawn to all the unwashed dishes and cutlery that littered the side. And then some leftover food remains, like a plate of rotting vegetables that looked like they'd been there at least a week. And a packet of some sort of eastern European food with a name I couldn't pronounce.

I looked in the fridge, and it was basically empty. So then I went to look through the cupboards. By chance hers was the first one I opened, and I only knew that because I recognised the pair of fancy lunch boxes she took to the rink before. There wasn't much in the way of actual food. Except for an empty packet of bread. Like, someone ate the _entire loaf_ and just left the remains there for her to find. I had a feeling that this wasn't her doing. Heck, I was fairly certain that none of this mess was hers.

Welp. So much for that idea.

Back into Sora's room I went to grab my wallet. And her door key.

"Steven?" Piyomon asked, "What are you-?"

"I'll be right back." Time for a quick trip to the convenience store on campus.

Their range wasn't particularly good, but with little time to spare I grabbed a few snacky bits that she could eat now. And some bread to replace the missing loaf. I'd thought about getting an energy drink to perk her up, but then I thought some herbal tea might make her feel more relaxed if she's had trouble sleeping - not that I knew enough to pick the right flavour for that purpose, instead just getting a lemon and ginger flavoured one because it sounded nice. Got the stuff and joined the queue at the counter - oh, great. There's a bloke up front who's taking too long to get a pack of cigarettes, because of course there is. Take your time, mate. It's not like my friend's starving or my Digimon's fighting a battle that I urgently need to get back to or anything.

Finally, bought the stuff and returned to Sora's flat.

"Sorry it's not much," I passed her the shopping bag.

"Ste-kun… why? You… you didn't have to-"

She was interrupted by the sound of an explosion from her laptop screen. I looked to see that MetalGreymon had fallen, after taking a blast from something. I also saw Crescemon laying on the ground nearby.

I then moved the game camera and, to my horror, yet another enemy had appeared on the battlefield. It was a giant dinosaur skeleton armed with a shark-like missile on its back.

SkullGreymon.

Oh crap.

"The others…" Sora tried getting up, "We need to-"

"No, you can't!" Piyomon cried, "Not in your condition!"

"But…"

"She's right. You need to rest. Also, eat something, dammit." I held out my Digivice, pressing the right button to transport myself back to the Digital World.

 **つづく**


	13. Episode 12: Heart-to-heart

**Digimon Re:Link, Episode 12:** **"Heart-to-heart"**

Okay, quick recap time; hectic battle taking place in icy cold German Region city. We'd gained the upper hand before the leftover small fry evolved into stronger Digimon. And just as that happened; Sora had somehow completely exhausted herself and collapsed. So I took her home, bought her food, and while that was going on the battle took a turn for the worse as another enemy Digimon appeared. So I returned to rejoin the fight with my partner, and whoever else was left.

After a flash of light, I was right back where I was before. In the middle of a freezing cold, snow-covered, war-torn city street.

"Steven…" MetalGreymon growled as he got up, "Welcome back."

"You OK, mate?"

"I've had worse."

I looked around. All those Sealsdramon from earlier were missing. MachGaogamon and WarGrowlmon were also absent. And oddly, so was my brother. Looks like Crescemon returned from her earlier battle, only to get injured herself. Panjyamon was still unconscious.

"What happened?" I asked Thoma.

"We cleared the area of the Sealsdramon, but then we took a surprise attack. WarGrowlmon and MachGaogamon were both injured," he said as he looked at the wounded Gaomon inside his Digivice.

"So where's Georgie?"

"I sent him home."

"Oh, right. Bet he wasn't too happy about that, though."

"You're right, he wasn't. But as his elder sibling, I believe you would have done the same."

"… Thanks."

"Now's not the time for chatter, guys," Victoria pointed at the approaching SkullGreymon.

Now _this_ guy lived up to the 'Skull' moniker, being a skeleton and everything. It was around the same size as MetalGreymon, if not larger. I've seen it in the anime and didn't think much of it then, but… seeing this giant skeletal monster towering over us in person, with its massive gaping jaw and glowing red eyes sent a shiver down my spine. If it wasn't _already_ terrifying enough then the giant, beating heart clearly visible in its chest was only making it worse. But then, it probably doesn't help that I'm squeamish.

MetalGreymon charged ahead, and began wrestling with his new foe.

Meanwhile, Onimon was slashing at Tankdramon with his katana. The tank-like creature then began firing its gatling gun as the samurai ran around, effortlessly dodging every bullet.

 _"You'll never stop me!"_ A voice echoed, as Tankdramon began charging the cannons on its back, _"Only one of these has ever been shot down!"_

Onimon did a backflip high up over the tank, shooting a pair of well-aimed ice arrows into its cannons, instantly freezing them and clogging them up. As it took aim and attempted to fire at Onimon again, Tankdramon exploded instead.

"And that makes two," he scoffed, as his bow dematerialised.

SkullGreymon shoved MetalGreymon back, sending him tumbling towards us. That left an opening for Onimon to charge in through the smoke of Tankdramon's explosion - but SkullGreymon was quick to notice this, and managed to grab Onimon in that split second.

"NO!" Victoria cried, watching as SkullGreymon began crushing her partner in its claw.

The giant dinosaur skeleton then turned its lifeless stare to us, and began tightening its grip around Onimon, who struggled to break free. It seemed almost as if it was threatening us; One move from anyone and it would crush him to death.

But then, SkullGreymon got shot in the face by an ice ball.

We looked to see a small, teddy bear-shaped snowman, donned with green armour parts and wielding a rocket launcher, flying through the air via a stream of ice it made with a pair of skis attached to its feet… _somehow._

"Ch… Chackmon," Crescemon said, weakly, as she watched her comrade join the battle.

"Sorry I took so long, Commander! There were more enemies on the other side of town!" Chackmon flew at SkullGreymon again, shooting more ice balls at it from his rocket launcher - only to get whacked aside into a nearby building. This didn't stop the little guy, as he jumped straight back into action and started shooting again.

The sight of this teddy bear snowman taking on a massive, terrifying skeletal monster could best be described as absurd, and yet, something about this scene also set off a spark in my heart.

I kept watching as, every time he was effortlessly whacked aside by the much larger creature, he kept getting back up. Trying and trying, again and again. The little guy's sheer courage and determination was admirable.

Yet, there I was being pessimistic about my own abilities and my own power. With the others out of action and Onimon trapped in SkullGreymon's claw, me and MetalGreymon were effectively the only ones left who could still fight.

I may have been mistaken, but I think I heard Sora calling me from her screen way up in the sky. I looked up, and could see her slumped in her chair at her desk.

There was a noticeable look of despair in her eyes. It was clear as day that she felt guilty over letting us down. She wanted to be here. She wanted to protect us. Piyomon seemed to be holding on to her, as if restraining her, begging her not to rejoin the fight.

My brother was also watching with anticipation from another screen. Neither of them could be here, so… I need to fill in for them. I have to be stronger. I have to get through this. I have to have more faith in both myself, and my partner. Not just for me, but for them, too. If I don't fight off this nagging self-doubt now, when am I ever going to-

Just then, my arm lit up in red Digisoul. All by itself.

My Digivice screen lit up, and then MetalGreymon began glowing. After a moment, the glowing stopped.

"That's more like it, Steven! This is our _true_ power!" He roared, charging back at SkullGreymon at full pelt, ramming straight into it and forcing it down the street. SkullGreymon managed to let go of Onimon, who then reverted back to Samanomon. Chackmon joined MetalGreymon in the fight, continuing to pelt the giant skeleton with ice balls.

Er, wait, what? What was that? What just happened?

"Behind you!" Crescemon called, as we heard footsteps approaching.

The three of us looked around. Turned out there was still one Sealsdramon left.

"Impossible!" Thoma gasped.

The armoured cyborg looked like it had sustained some damage from the earlier battle, and it clearly wasn't at full strength. Even so, it slowly trudged towards us, with a knife ready in one hand and its eye visor and scouter both glowing bright red. MetalGreymon was preoccupied and, again, our other Digimon were all downed. Crescemon struggled to get up, unable to fight after whatever happened to her before. Panjyamon was also out of action, still unconscious from that blow to the head he took earlier.

"Thoma?" Victoria asked, with an uncharacteristically nervous quiver, "I don't suppose you have a plan in mind, do you?"

Thoma was silent. He was all out of ideas, and with Gaomon injured there was nothing he could do. Well, I mean, he could easily have returned home just as he told Georgie to, and yet here he was, seemingly awaiting the inevitable.

So, why? Why are you still here?

"As an officer of DATS, it is my duty to see this operation through to the end… regardless of the outcome," he explained, "but, I'll admit, maybe there's some stubborn pride on my part. I couldn't bring myself to face any of you again if I simply abandoned you."

…Wow. I'm genuinely touched.

"The same goes for our comrades here, too. It would be wrong to leave them behind."

He was right. We could easily have run away from the approaching Sealsdramon. But then, what if we fled for our lives and it used the opportunity to finish them both off? We were all but defenseless against this thing, but we couldn't just leave our allies to die… not after all they did to fight alongside and protect us today. And even then, Sealsdramon would still have come after us after killing them anyway. Not to mention the giant dinosaur skeleton that would've killed us if we went anywhere near it.

We had nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, and we were pretty much stuck between a rock and a hard place. Damn it all. If only I had some kind of… !

"Aha!" I happened to remember there and then that I had just the thing. And, perhaps against my better judgement, I had another cunning plan.

I began tapping the buttons on my Digivice. Out of the screen came a hockey stick. And then some pucks. I only scanned one, but I was able to load multiple copies. I was gonna need a few of those.

"What the-?! You can't be serious!" Victoria exclaimed.

"No, Steven! Stop this at once! That's an or-"

"Do _either_ of you have _any_ better ideas?!" I glared back.

Thoma was caught off guard. He and Victoria exchanged bewildered glances.

To be fair, it _was_ a dumb idea. But after no further objections, I swung the stick upwards, and then back around for a slapshot. The first puck flew right past Sealsdramon… dammit, I'm out of practice. Time for another shot. The next one bounced off its chest plate. The cyborg flinched - only a bit - but no apparent damage was done to its armour.

I kept shooting more pucks only to keep getting similar results. By pure, dumb luck, one of them ended up flying right into its face, shattering its visor and scouter to pieces. It reacted that time, but it didn't seem to be enough to blind it, or even deter it. Sealsdramon continued its approach.

Before long I was running low on pucks. As I went to load more copies from the Digivice, Sealsdramon suddenly stopped moving.

It was pierced through the back with a staff, and then it dissolved. We then saw a familiar face as the cyborg was destroyed.

"Kaze!" Victoria recognised him.

"You told me that wasn't a weapon," he scowled at me.

"Oh, it's not. But you just gave me the idea," I grinned back.

He glanced at Crescemon, who heaved a sigh of relief once we were safe.

"I see… so you were trying to protect them," Kaze observed, as he then looked at the unconscious Panjyamon lying on the ground, "I've seen too many like him sacrificed in my time."

Aaah, so _that's_ why the lion looked familiar.

We turned our attention back to the main battle. As SkullGreymon whacked Chackmon aside again, MetalGreymon grabbed that arm and tore it off the skeleton. He breathed a stream of fire at SkullGreymon, who was noticeably losing its strength.

 _"Don't think you've won today, DigiDestined!"_ A voice echoed from SkullGreymon as it burned, _"Look at all this destruction! Just imagine what we could do with all this power in your world, in one of your cities! Yes… soon, the time shall come, when we-"_

"Shut it!" MetalGreymon smashed his opponent around the head (skull?) with his metallic arm, knocking the jaw out of place, _"GIGA BLASTER!"_ and after a mighty roar he pelted SkullGreymon with missiles. He fired them over and over until the skeleton was completely vaporised.

At last, the battle was over.

But, like that voice said, whether we'd actually 'won' was up for debate. This street was pretty much ravaged from the battle. And that's not even getting to whatever was going on elsewhere in the city. There were less fatalities on our side this time, so there's that at least.

I watched as MetalGreymon looked down at the much smaller Chackmon standing next to him. The bear held up his hand, and then MetalGreymon awkwardly held out his right arm for a fist bump.

Then I looked up to Sora's screen in the sky, watching as she wiped tears from her eyes. She was smiling, but still wasn't really in a good state. Having to watch the battle probably only made it worse for her.

"Kaze! Hey, Kaze!" An excited voice could be heard. I looked to see a small penguin waddling towards him before leaping into his arms, "Long time no see!"

"Indeed. It's been a while, Penmon," Kaze smiled.

"Did ya see me back there? I was whooshing around SkullGreymon and then BLAM! Got 'im right in the face! And then MetalGreymon went BLAM, BLAM, KA-BLAM, and took 'im down!"

Wait, that was _you?_

"These humans came to defend the city with their Digimon. They were in a pinch, so I helped 'em out!" He then jumped back to the ground, holding up a flipper as he waddled up to me, "Pleasure workin' with ya, pal!"

"Er… y-yeah, likewise!" I held out my hand, receiving a low-five from Penmon. After all he'd done for us, it would've been wrong to give him the cold shoulder.

Kaze silently observed the gesture. Maybe now, his opinion of humans and Digimon collaborating was starting to change.

… Actually, it's probably a good thing Georgie wasn't here right now. Can't imagine he'd be too thrilled to meet Kaze again so soon.

"Excellent work, Penmon," Crescemon congratulated him, "I shall see to it that you are promoted as soon as possible."

"Aw, man! Does that mean I can't use the Spirit now?"

"Well… you're due to Digivolve soon, aren't you? You might not _need_ Chackmon's power anymore!" She chuckled.

I found my eyes fixated on the little penguin. The unlikely hero saved us by distracting SkullGreymon in the nick of time, but I had an entirely different reason to thank him today. Seeing the little guy getting knocked down and getting up and trying again, over and over, as he was overpowered by the much larger and much stronger foe… well, maybe it wasn't the most sensible battle strategy. And yet something about that was deeply inspiring and empowering. He set an example for me to follow. If this seemingly harmless little penguin could stand up to big, scary monsters that could eat him alive, then surely, I could do that too.

I was reminded somewhat of that young Agumon from the battle of Greymon Valley. I wondered if the original holders of the Spirits were like this; maybe their own personalities, or even their experiences and hardships, had somehow manifested within the Spirits themselves, in turn influencing those who wield them today.

"So," Thoma snapped me out of my trance as he gave me a pat on the shoulder, "you finally caught up to the rest of us. Think you can manage it properly in future?"

"Yeah. I think I've got the hang of it now."

"Good. Just be careful not to put too much strain on yourself. But, also," he coughed, "please refrain from reckless strategies like _that_ in future."

Yeah, shooting hockey pucks at a Digimon wasn't one of my _best_ ideas but hey, it did the trick.

"Speaking of which," Victoria looked up to Sora's screen in the sky, "isn't there somewhere you need to be right now, Steven?"

"We'll handle the rest here," Thoma nodded.

"… Oh! Right, yeah, I should see how she's doing," I waved at Sora - before remembering that she couldn't see me through the game interface. I then turned to MetalGreymon.

"I think she's got the gist," he watched as Sora moved away from her laptop on the other side.

"OK, let's go," I then returned MetalGreymon to the Digivice, before pointing it up at the sky.

As I pressed the button to return to the other side, I happened to notice Kaze glaring at me. I wasn't sure if I'd earned his trust yet, but he gave me a quick nod just as I was blinded by the usual flash of white light.

And there I was. Back in Sora's room again.

"Ste-kun…" she greeted me, with a warm smile, "welcome back."

"Thanks."

My attention was then drawn to the shopping bag on her bed. The contents were still there, just as I'd left them before returning to the Digital World.

"Aw, come on. You didn't eat _any_ of it?" I cracked a smile, "It can't be _that_ bad, can it?"

"Sorry, I… I just couldn't. Not while you were all still fighting."

"… Right, yeah, I see where you're coming from. Well then, no better time to start than now!"

I opened the bag, quickly reminding myself of what I grabbed earlier - meanwhile, I happened to notice Piyomon glaring at me from the corner of my eye.

Inside the bag was a box of sponge cake slices, a packet of crisps, a loaf of bread, a box of that herbal tea I picked up, and among some other bits there was a certain non-specific branded four-fingered milk chocolate wafer biscuit. I gave that to her first.

"Oh! We have these at home!" She took it off me, "What other flavours do you have here?"

"Other flavours? Er… not sure. I've only really seen that one in shops."

"Well, at home, there are all kinds! Green tea, sakura, red bean, strawberry, strawberry cheesecake…"

"Wow, that's a lot of - w-wait, what? Green tea? Seriously?"

"It's better than it sounds," she smiled.

"Wow. I'll have to try that one of these days. But, of course, we only get the boring flavours here," I joked, hoping - and failing - to get a laugh out of her, "And speaking of tea… well, lemme make one of these for you."

Back into that warzone of a kitchen I went to make her a cup of the herbal tea. Maybe the lemon and ginger aroma from that might help combat the stench from the bin… oh, who am I kidding. Of course it didn't. It really was that bad. But that's a whole other issue I'm going to have to address.

So I brought it back and gave it to her. I was expecting it to help her feel relaxed, but it seemed to have the opposite effect instead.

"Umai!" She exclaimed, suddenly perking up after only the first sip.

"So, er… how is it?"

"This blend of flavours works so well! Come to think of it, I've had something like this at home before."

That was just a random pick off the shelf, too. Just as well she liked it. But between this and the non-specific branded wafer bar, I hoped I wasn't accidentally making her homesick. Piyomon's glare sharpened, seemingly bordering on wanting to peck my eyes out. I continued to ignore her.

With that in mind, I then took the box of sponge cake slices out of the bag and passed that to her, "Now these are something you'll only find here."

"Exceedingly good…?" Sora read the slogan on the box, her interest piqued.

"I wouldn't go _that_ far, but they're alright I guess."

"They look nice," she smiled as the opened it, "Would you like one?"

"No, no! You go ahead!"

"How about you, Piyomon?"

"I'm fine. But thank you, Sora," the bird replied, as she continued glaring at me.

"Oh, okay. And you, DemiGreymon?" She asked my partner, who was still in the Digivice.

"Uh… n-no, I'm alright, thanks."

"Really? Wow, that's not like you at all!" I laughed.

"Well, I mean, I'd love one, but… there's just a teeny, tiny problem. Letting me out right now would be a bad idea."

I went to look at the Digivice. I then did a double take.

"M-M… _Metal_ Greymon," I gulped.

"Yeah, turns out I've still got some extra energy left," he grinned back.

This caught Sora's attention.

"Guess that settles it," I shrugged, "all yours, then!"

"Itadakimasu," she took one out and began eating it. She was really enjoying it, too. And distracted long enough for me to return little miss angry bird's glare.

Sora stopped eating halfway through her third slice, after noticing our staring contest, "Piyomon?"

"What are you up to?" The bird growled at me.

"What's the problem?" I retorted, "Sora has no food, Sora is hungry. Steven buys Sora food, Sora no longer hungry. Done."

"If you're done, then you should leave. Sora needs to-"

"That's enough," Sora intervened, "please, stop it… both of you."

"I'm only trying to help you, that's all," I shrugged again.

"Hmph," Piyomon scoffed, averting her glare at last - but then she happened to spot the loaf of bread I bought.

Sora hung her head, "I… I'm sorry. You didn't have to do all this for me."

"That's a bad habit of yours," I shook my head, "you've done nothing wrong. And you have nothing to apologise for."

Piyomon looked back at me - but, this time, without the piercing glare.

"If anything, I should be saying _'thank you'_. I owe you a lot, Sora."

"What for?"

"Well… you coming all the way over here to help me out, for one thing. And helping to save Greymon when I was powerless to do anything. Getting me used to flying. Stopping me from being turned into a pancake by my own partner."

Despite her low mood, she couldn't help but crack up at that choice of words.

"That's just off the top of my head," I continued, "and then there's the fact that you've already saved the world before! And without me even knowing! I don't feel like I've done anything noteworthy in my time, but you, and Piyomon, and all those others… you're real heroes. I'll admit it's jarring to see you in this state, but hey, I guess even superheroes need to rest."

"Hero…" Sora pondered, "that sounds nice."

"Well, it's the truth. You're awesome." I had plenty of other compliments I wanted to throw her way, but for reasons that I'll get to when I get to, I kept those to myself.

"Still… I can't shake this feeling that I've let you all down."

"Except, you haven't. You're always there, always looking out for us. I think it goes without saying that we all appreciate it very much. But… you need to look after yourself, too."

Piyomon jumped, "That's what I've been trying to tell her!"

Sora hung her head again. I think she knew where I was going with this.

"Piyomon," I asked, "Don't suppose you've been in the kitchen at all, have you?"

"No, I've never left this room. Why?"

I motioned her to follow me out, and showed her to the kitchen. I opened the door. She had to cover her beak to stop her alarmed squawk from being heard. I then showed her Sora's mostly empty cupboard, including that empty bread packet. And then the mostly empty fridge.

"So that's why she hasn't…"

"Yeah. But I think there's more to it than a messy kitchen."

We then went back to her room. I was back on the chair and Piyomon on her partner's bed.

"Sora," I asked, "What's going on here?"

She was silently staring at the now half-empty cake box.

"It's OK, Sora," Piyomon assured her, "you can tell him!"

Still no response, as she instead bit her lip.

"Look, I know it's hard to open up about this stuff. Believe me, I've been there. Like Victoria said, it's not healthy to hold it all in. I know that too well for my own good."

She then looked at me, her eyes widening as I held out my pinky finger.

"You said you'd be here if anything's troubling me, right? Well, this is really troubling me. And I think a promise like that works both ways. I want to help you. But I won't know _how_ to help you, unless you tell me what's wrong."

"… Alright," she gave in, taking a deep breath before finally admitting, "I'm still not used to life here."

"Yeah, that makes sense," I huffed, as I felt an uncomfortable twinge in my gut. I'm pretty much the reason she moved here, after all.

"Spending this much time away from home isn't anything new to me. But being this far away, and with all that's been happening in the Digital World, and my studies on top of that…"

"Right. It's all been building up and causing you stress."

She nodded, "Not only that, but… other than you, and Piyomon keeping me company, I've been lonely. It's been weird not having my old friends around. I miss them."

"Oh. So, what about those friends you made over freshers week? What happened to them?"

"I see them in class, but I haven't spent much time with them. I've been meaning to organise a study group, but all they ever want to do is go out and get drunk."

"Sounds about right… wait, what about that tennis club I told you about?"

"There isn't one."

"What? Really? I could've sworn…"

She shook her head.

"… Ah. Well, sorry about that. Guess I went and got your hopes up for nothing," I scratched my head, as I glanced aside and happened to spot a racquet in the corner of the room.

"No, it's okay, really. I know you didn't mean to," she forced a smile.

"Maybe there's one around town you could join?"

"Even so, with everything that's been going on I don't know if I'd have the time for it. To tell the truth, I mainly picked it up to get closer to my Mom. She was such a strict coach, too… and I really miss her."

"But you love tennis! You can't just give it up, Sora!" said Piyomon, "What would your mother think?"

"I know. I want to keep playing, but…"

"Well, we can look into that when you're feeling up for it," I added, "I know life's busy right now, but you should try and enjoy your time here, too."

"… You're right," Sora nodded.

"Maybe there's another society you could join in the meantime. And it's not just sports, but there are all kinds here! Come to think of it, there's an anime club I've been meaning to go to…"

"I'm still here, by the way!" MetalGreymon called for attention.

"O-oh, right! Sorry buddy!" I grabbed the Digivice.

"Think you could set up some training for me? All this energy's going to waste and it's driving me nuts!"

"Yup, yup, I'm on it!"

Sora giggled as she watched me mash buttons on the Digivice. Looks like this thing's got a convenient built-in battle mode. On screen appeared another MetalGreymon for him to spar with.

"All right! Time to rock and roll!" I watched as he charged ahead to clash with his other self.

"Ahem," I cleared my throat, "But, yeah, I'm always here if you want to hang out sometime. I'm sure Victoria would love to meet up, too. Since you've come all the way over here, maybe we could plan a day trip to London!"

"Thank you, Ste-kun," she smiled again, this time more genuinely.

"Anyway, you said you had trouble sleeping. So what's been keeping you up?"

Sora gazed at the ceiling, "The neighbours upstairs. Right above me is their kitchen."

"Oh yeah, that's one of the five room flats, isn't it?" They had much larger kitchens too, and they doubled as kind of a communal area. It's too bad the idiots at DATS couldn't get her in one of those.

"Yeah. I don't know what they were up to last night, but they kept me awake until three or four in the morning."

"Hey, that happened to me too! And they even had the cheek to file a noise complaint against us!"

"A noise complaint? But, I couldn't-"

"Well, it's either that or they'll _keep_ keeping you up. You shouldn't have to put up with that."

"But still…"

"If they do it again, then you should complain!" Piyomon chimed in, "It's only fair, Sora!"

"... Alright."

"Now then," I continued, "about the food situation. And that kitchen."

"I know," she sighed, "it's a mess."

"But it's not _your_ mess, is it?"

"Me and my flatmates… we barely communicate with each other. And that kitchen's so small we have to take turns. But they always take too long, and it ends up being left like that when it's my turn."

"Yeah, that's not on."

"One of them has a weird eating disorder. I'll buy a loaf of bread for myself, but as soon as I go to make a sandwich, they've eaten it all."

"… The whole loaf?"

"Even though they have their own bread. This happens to my other flatmate too. We've both complained, but they still won't stop."

I shook my head in disbelief. How the heck does someone manage to consume two - no, three! _Three_ entire loaves of bread?!

"Maybe you should keep it in here if that keeps happening?" Piyomon suggested.

"Yeah… maybe I'll do that."

"So what about the stuff in the fridge?" I asked, "Don't tell me they munched through everything in there too?"

"No. I've been meaning to go shopping, but with all the trouble I've had sleeping lately I haven't had the energy. I've had to make do with that convenience store."

"It's a bit crap, isn't it?"

She nodded, "It's quite different compared to what I'm used to at home. They also don't have a good selection. And sometimes I'll want a snack when I'm up late, but by that time they're already closed."

"So not especially convenient, then. Mind you, there's a bunch of fast food places around here too. A Chinese takeaway, a sub place, a Papa Joe's…"

"They're expensive."

"Yeah, true that. Especially the Papa Joe's, they want a tenner for a small pizza! Bloody joke."

"I mean, I'm allocated a budget every week, so I'm having to be mindful of that."

"… Just how much are they giving you?"

"Twenty five pounds."

I was speechless. The uncomfortable twinge I felt earlier came back as a full blown gut punch.

All the trouble she's gone through to be here, everything she's had to put up with, and all she gets from DATS is the cash equivalent of two and a half of those tiny pizzas to get her through a week. Unbelievable.

"Tell you what, I'm gonna pop out for a minute," I got up off the chair, "would you mind coming with me, Piyomon?"

"M-me?" The bird asked, "Well, okay, but why?"

"I'll tell you in a minute. Dem- er, _Metal_ Greymon, could you keep an eye on Sora for a little while?"

" _GIGA BLASTER -_ oh, um, okay, sure."

Piyomon returned to her Digivice. I then grabbed that, Sora's keys, and my wallet.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"Just popping to the shop," I grinned back, giving her no time to object as I left.

Back to that convenience store we went. With no urgent life and death battle to return to, this gave us some time to browse the shop and see what they had.

"Sora was right," Piyomon whispered, "there's not a lot she can use to cook with here."

"Yeah. Most of it's made to be chucked in the oven, or even the microwave. So it's quick and easy for students to make, I guess."

"Why did you bring me anyway, Steven?"

"Well, I don't know what kind of food she likes. You've known her longer than I have, so I thought you might be able to give me some pointers."

"Oh, okay!"

"It's a bit of a trek, but we could go to the big supermarket instead."

"The one near the rink?"

"Yeah. They have much more stuff available."

"Don't worry, Steven. I'm sure Sora will appreciate whatever you get here. She can always go herself when she's feeling better."

"Yeah, I suppose so."

So, we got some bits. Among the food items Piyomon pointed out was a plastic pot of curry flavoured instant noodles, which was apparently similar to something Sora could get at home. Maybe not the most nutritious thing going, but they make for a quick and easy lunch option. The Japanese counterpart is probably way better, though.

As we made our way back, Piyomon suddenly asked;

"Steven… do you like Sora?"

"Wh-what? What's that supposed to mean? What brought this on?"

"Come on, you can tell me!"

Time to borrow Thoma's catchphrase, "That's classified information."

"So… you do, then?"

 _SON OF A BI-_ "And, suppose I _did_ , what would you do with that information?"

"Between you and the boys back home, I've gotta keep tabs on this stuff! But don't worry, I promise I won't tell Sora about it-"

"Wait. You mean to tell me you'd keep a secret from your own partner?"

"… Alright, you got me there, Steven."

"Well," I sighed, "even if I _did_ , Sora's dealing with enough crap as is. She's already having a hard time for my sake, and… it wouldn't be fair if I went and put more pressure on her. It'd just make things awkward between us, y'know?"

"I see… okay. I understand, Steven!" Piyomon chirped.

You've probably already guessed by this point, dear reader. But then, I think I've made my feelings for Sora clear as day by now. So blatant and obvious - even though I was trying not to be - that I already had Victoria and Piyomon guessing that I might be into her.

So, yes, you were correct. And so were they. Let's just say that I have a type, and Sora is pretty much it. She's cute, and she's kind, the way she smiles, the way she giggles, her auburn hair, her heart-meltingly sweet voice… something about all that just gets me. And we get along like a house on fire, so I'd like to think we'd make a perfect pair. But, as much as it pains me to say it, that wasn't what she was here for.

On top of all that, I still had another reason for hiding how I felt; for me, it was too soon to deal with another heartbreak.

More than a year before this all took place, there was another girl I liked. Okay, maybe 'like' is an understatement. We were already great friends but - like Sora - something about her really got me, and at some point I went head over heels _crazy_ for her. And she knew it, all too well.

Sure, I'd had crushes before, as does anyone. But for some reason I was convinced that this girl was 'the one'. It was the first time I'd really felt that way about anyone and, admittedly, I was quite immature about the whole thing. It was putting a strain on our friendship. Even though she still wanted to be my friend, I sometimes felt like she was pushing me away and _trying_ to make me upset. But in hindsight, perhaps it was me who was driving _her_ away. I hadn't even gotten to the asking-her-out part, and yet she was the closest thing to a girlfriend I ever had. Maybe I was avoiding asking her out because, deep down, I knew she wasn't interested. Despite my fear of the inevitable rejection, and against all advice, I persisted. Because I was a stupid, selfish, stubborn fool.

Eventually, after my own refusal to take one too many hints… she'd reached her breaking point and outright turned me down. It hurt. It _really_ hurt. But after the way I treated her? I kind of deserved it. I learned the hard way to be more considerate around the opposite sex. I also learned to be more cautious. But sometimes, I can't help but wonder if I'm being _too_ cautious.

So, yeah. That's probably the main reason I never told Sora I was in love with her. I was afraid of failure. Afraid of rejection. On top of that, she'd be going home when all this was over anyway, so what would be the point? I convinced myself that it would be better to hide how I felt rather than risk getting rejected again. Or maybe I'm just a self-loathing coward.

Also; you may remember that 'old friend' I've brought up a number of times before, the guy I used to write those horrible, horrible Digimon fanfics with. And how we both wrote Sora's anime counterpart into our respective stories as the love interest.

Turns out we had similar tastes in real life women, too. Which is also where this other girl comes in; he had a thing for her too.

It was like we went from being friends to bitter rivals, vying for her attention. Sure, we'd fought over silly stuff before, even getting to the point where I would stubbornly blank him for days, or even weeks on end, until I got an apology. But this was at a whole new level. We became resentful and jealous of each other. Not that it mattered anyway as, in the end, we were _both_ turned down; she wanted no such thing with either of us.

The whole ordeal put a wedge between us and... we kind of just drifted apart after that.

I might have been willing to be the bigger man and patch things up. But the thing that really made me want to burn bridges with this guy? I happened to learn from someone else that he recorded the whole thing in some sort of online journal. It's one thing to antagonise and insult me behind my back, but he had the audacity to use my full, real name, to spread crap about me for all to see on the internet. Sometimes I felt like I missed what we had, but after seeing that? I wondered how I even became friends with such a spiteful, swollen-headed narcissist.

Maybe I'm being a hypocrite as I'm now pretty much doing the same, but at least I have the decency to keep his name confidential. Even though he apparently went on to become a well-known App Tube star, not that I really cared one way or the other. I'm fed up with this 'old friend' shtick so I'll just go ahead and make up a pseudonym already.

 _Let's see, his old fanfic is still accessible via the Internet Archive, so…_

Archie.

Yeah. Let's go with that.

Now, I want you to remember that name; it'll be important later.

But I digress.

Me and Piyomon returned to Sora's flat. The bird sat in the room with her while I put all the food I just bought in the appropriate places. The mess in the kitchen was kind of getting in the way of that, so I started cleaning it up as best as I could, starting with taking that bloody bin out. I'm used to being the designated dishwasher at home, especially when the machine's not working, so that wasn't too much trouble. Only problem was I didn't know whose dishes were whose, so I just left the now-clean stuff on the side for her flatmates to find. But considering they were all over the side to begin with, I'd like to think of this as the equivalent of a passive-aggressive sticky note.

"It should be safe to use now," I half-joked, as I re-entered her room.

Sora covered her mouth, "Wait, don't tell me you-!"

"Yeah, it was driving me mad. It's all clean now."

"I… I don't know what to say."

"I'm just returning the favour. I still owe you, big time."

She nodded, with a warm smile on her face. That very same smile I fell in love wi- _aw jeez there I go again._

"Anyway, I'll leave you be now. Take as long as you need to rest."

"Thank you, Ste-kun."

I went to grab my Digivice and my coat.

"Sora… before I go, can I just ask you one more thing?"

"Oh, okay. What's on your mind?"

Despite Piyomon's eyes sparkling as if expecting me to ask her out already, that wasn't what I was thinking of. Something else had been bugging me.

"What were you doing in the Digital World the other day?"

"... When you were making a grave for Rinkmon?"

"Yeah."

"How did you know it was me?"

"I didn't. Just guessed," I shrugged.

"Well… I was worried about you. I saw you there, and I just wanted to make sure you were alright."

 _God damn it I completely adore her._

"But when Kaze shouted like that, I panicked and ran away. I wish I hadn't now," she smiled.

"Yeah, to be honest he made me jump too! Bloomin' knucklehead," I chuckled.

"Ste-kun, I know you still regret what happened to Rinkmon, but… you need to understand that it wasn't your fault. You didn't kill him, after all. It couldn't be helped."

It didn't make me feel any less guilty about what happened, but I needed to hear that. It meant a lot.

"Also… I've been thinking. About what Vicky-chan said before."

"Oh, you mean about my angry outburst? And the thing about bottling up emotions?"

She nodded, "I didn't agree with her at first, but I think I understand what she meant, now."

"Yeah, I'll admit, it's a bad habit of mine. I try not to let it get the better of me, but-"

"You've been hiding a lot of pain… haven't you?"

I averted my gaze, staring at the floor and answering only with a silent nod.

"Heh… you're just like me…"

Well, I wasn't expecting that response.

After a moment I turned back to face her, and… oh. She's asleep.

Piyomon laid her down and tucked her in. She then came over and nuzzled up to me, "Thank you, Steven."

"Don't mention it. That's what friends are for."

"Also, I'm sorry for the way I treated you earlier, Steven."

"S'alright. You were only looking out for her, after all."

… Also, why do you keep saying my name like that? It's a bit weird.

Now that I think about it; I'd spent a lot of time with Sora, yet I hadn't spoken to Piyomon all that much until then. I managed to gain her trust awfully quick today. That's also a bit weird.

So, anyway, I made my leave.

As I headed to the station, I looked at the Digivice to see that MetalGreymon had de-evolved at last.

"That was a good workout," Koromon yawned, satisfied, "but now I'm starving!"

"What else is new?" I laughed, loading up some food for him.

As I looked at the screen, I noticed that there was now a second food option available; and it was one of those cake slices from before.

"Hang on, when did…?"

"Oh, Sora scanned one in for me while you were out," Koromon explained, before chowing down on a couple, "Wow, these are really good!"

That was sweet of her. So, this thing can scan food too? Neat!

Actually, now I'm reminded of when Victoria fed Samanomon with a tuna steak that one time. I should've known it was capable of this from the start.

"Hey, so…" Koromon said, "she was really crying, while you two were out."

"Well, I can't blame her. She's been through a lot."

"No, I mean… well, I don't know why, but… she was crying for _you_."

I stopped in my tracks, "Wh-what? What do you mean?"

Koromon held up his ear things, as if giving me an apologetic shrug.

Well, that was, er, certainly unexpected.

But I would eventually learn that it was nothing to raise my hopes about.

 **つづく**


End file.
